Sheikh Hasina accuses Bangladesh govt of repressing opponents

Dhaka: Bangladesh’s former prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday, October 27, alleged that the country is witnessing “mass arrests, mass searches and torture,” accusing the government led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman of suppressing political opponents.

“Today’s Bangladesh is a country of mass arrests, mass searches, torture, false cases, extrajudicial killings and human rights violations. There is no law, no rights and no public security in the country,” Sheikh Hasina said in a statement posted by Bangladesh Awami League on social media.

Hasina, who was ousted following the anti-government protests in 2024, alleged that law enforcement agencies were “conducting block raids and mass searches in various areas across the country, including Gopalganj.”

“Between 5,000 and 7,000 people are being arrested every day,” she said.

Hasina said the people of Bangladesh need to be “guaranteed their basic rights and legal protection.”

“The government that came to power through a rigged election has clearly embarked on a mission to eliminate the Awami League from the country,” she said.

Criticising the BNP government’s handling of the economy, she alleged shortages of gas, electricity, fuel and fertilisers, rising commodity prices and unemployment, as well as the closure of mills and factories and a slowdown in investment.

Hasina’s government was toppled on August 5, 2024, after violent student-led street protests in Bangladesh, following which she fled to India. She has been living in India since then.

An interim government, which took charge after Hasina’s ouster, disbanded her political party, Awami League, under an executive order under an anti-terror law.

In November 2025, Hasina was sentenced to death, in absentia, after being convicted of crimes against humanity by the International Crimes Tribunal for her role in the violent crackdown on the 2024 student-led protests.

Hasina has dismissed charges against her as “politically motivated”.

Bangladesh has been seeking Hasina’s extradition for a while.

New Delhi has acknowledged the extradition request and maintains that it is under legal consideration.

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