Biden govt funded last year’s Bangladesh protests; US attitude ‘definitely changed’ under Trump: Ousted PM Hasina’s son

VIRGINIA(US): After a Bangladesh court sentenced ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to death, her son Sajeeb Wazed blamed the previous US government for spending “millions of dollars on regime change” in his country but said the “US attitude has definitely changed” under President Donald Trump.

Wazed, who now lives in the US, while his mother is in exile in India, said that the American approach today has changed “very distinctly” from what it was during last year’s political unrest. He said, “President Trump himself announced at a press conference earlier this year that the previous administration, through USAID, spent millions of dollars on regime change in Bangladesh.”

On being asked if the then Hasina government received any threats from the US government, he said, “… No, we’ve not received any threats whatsoever. The only slight issue was that the US was the only country that issued a negative statement on our 2024 elections, which our opposition boycotted. Other than that, the elections were regarded as peaceful by everyone. So there was no direct pressure… Now, there is a completely new government in the US. The situation is completely different…”

Wazed also said the US attitude has “definitely changed”, as President Trump is more concerned about the “threat of terrorism and the rise of Islamism in Bangladesh than the previous administration.”
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“We have seen a very distinct change in outlook. President Trump himself announced at a press conference earlier this year that the previous administration, through USAID, spent millions of dollars on regime change in Bangladesh. He was referring to the protests last year. The US attitude has definitely changed, and they’re more concerned about the threat of terrorism and the rise of Islamism in Bangladesh than the previous administration was…” he added.

The protests that eventually ousted Bangladesh’s longest-serving Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, began in early July 2024 and were led by “student” groups. As demonstrations intensified, large crowds of student protesters stormed Hasina’s official residence in Dhaka amid reports of widespread looting and violent clashes. These scenes unfolded after weeks of anti-government unrest, which ultimately pushed Hasina to resign and flee the country, seeking exile in India.

However, Wazed expressed strong appreciation for New Delhi’s role during the political crisis. He said India played a crucial part in ensuring Sheikh Hasina’s safety when the violence escalated in Dhaka last year.

He said, “…India has always been a good friend. In the crisis, India has essentially saved my mother’s life. If she hadn’t left Bangladesh, the militants had planned on killing her. So, I am eternally grateful to Prime Minister Modi’s government for saving my mother’s life…”

Wazed also addressed questions about Hasina’s extradition to Bangladesh, sought by the Yunus administration and said the “unelected, unconstitutional and illegal” Dhaka government did not follow the judicial process while sentencing her to death.

He said, “For an extradition to happen, the judicial process has to be followed. In Bangladesh, there is a government that’s unelected, unconstitutional and illegal. In order to convict my mother, they amended laws to fast-track her trial… So these laws were amended illegally. My mother was not allowed to hire her defence attorneys. Her attorneys weren’t even allowed into the courts…”

He added that the trial was compromised by political interference. “17 judges were terminated at the court before the trial, new judges appointed, some of whom had absolutely no experience on the bench and were politically connected. So, there was no due process whatsoever… For extradition to happen, there has to be due process…” he said.

On November 17, Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal convicted the 78-year-old former prime minister of “crimes against humanity” linked to the July-August 2024 uprising. The tribunal found Hasina and two senior officials guilty of ordering or enabling atrocities during the protests.

Local media reported that the tribunal delivered the verdict in absentia, as Hasina has been living in India since the fall of her government. (ANI)