Sheikh Hasina says minorities in 'grave danger' in Bangladesh: 'Yunus govt's rule of terror led to fear'

Former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina

• Hasina accuses Yunus-led govt of enabling violence against Bangladesh minorities
• She claims journalists face repression and minorities are in 'grave danger'
• Hasina denies allegations against Awami League in Osman Hadi's killing

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Ousted Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has hit out at the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government over recurring attacks on minorities. The horrific crimes against minorities underscore how minorities are in 'grave danger' in Bangladesh, she said.

According to Hasina, the Yunus government's 'rule of terror' has created an atmosphere of fear, forced displacement and weakened Bangladesh's secular fabric.

"What we are witnessing is the systematic dismantling of Bangladesh's secular and democratic identity. Jamaat-e-Islami and allied extremist groups have been given political space, protection, and impunity under the Yunus regime," she told News18 in an interview.

Launching a sharp attack on the Yunus government, Hasina said during her prime ministership the protection of minorities was not optional but a moral duty and constitutional obligation. Drawing a contrast with the period when she was in office, the former Bangladesh PM accused the Yunus-led regime of stifling free expression and targeting journalists.

Violence against minorities

Citing the killing of Hindu garment worker Dipu Chandra Das, Hasina said the 'horrific and shameful crime' reflects the serious threats faced by minorities in Bangladesh. According to her, minorities are in 'grave danger' in the country.

"Since August 2024, we have witnessed a sustained cycle of violence against Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, Ahmadi Muslims, and indigenous communities; violence that has been allowed to spread unchecked through denial, inaction, and total impunity," she said.

" ... This did not begin spontaneously; it is symptomatic of the Muhammad Yunus-led government’s rule by terror. Any government that elevates extremists into positions of power and grants the perpetrators immunity in the eyes of the law, while exclusively prosecuting its political rivals, has voluntarily made minorities easy targets.

Osman Hadi's killing

Terming Osman Hadi's killing a tragic and awful event, Hasina said his death was politicised and led to a wave of unforgivable violence directed at the Bangladesh media. "His death is the direct consequence of the lawlessness, electoral violence and repression of free speech that has been allowed to define Bangladesh's politics under Yunus," she said.

"During our 15 years in government, we welcomed and encouraged freedom of expression and criticism. Journalists were free to write without fear of retaliation or violence. Today, journalists are being arrested on baseless charges for daring to write about the realities of life under Yunus," Hasina added.

The ousted Bangladesh PM said that the most concerning part is that, blame was directed at the Awami League without evidence and baselessly linked to India. "The subsequent admission by the authorities that they have no evidence confirms what was clear from the outset: This was scapegoating, not justice," she told News18.

According to Hasina, the Awami League has repeatedly been used as a convenient target to deflect attention from the interim government's collapse of law and order.

Allegations of spending millions to disrupt electoral process

Terming the allegations completely baseless, Hasina said that the Awami League has repeatedly appealed for calm, accountability, and a democratic solution through elections. "It is deeply ironic for an unelected administration — one that has banned opposition parties, detained hundreds of thousands of people and allowed mob violence — to accuse others of incitement," she said.

The United States, Hasina said, has been cautious in its statements. "Yunus was once the darling of some western political elites, but they are increasingly seeing him for the fraud he is. Even the President has said as much," she added.

Any hopes from Tarique Rahman's return?

Hasina said Tarique Rahman's return serves as a reminder of the corruption, violence, and extremism associated with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party's (BNP) time in power. "He has spent years in self-imposed exile in London, disconnected from the everyday struggles of ordinary citizens. He left Bangladesh after being convicted of aiding his late mother, former prime minister Khaleda Zia, in the embezzlement of public funds," she said.

Hasina asserted that Bangladesh does not need politics driven by vengeance, exclusion, or corruption. "It needs leadership rooted in the country, accountable to its people, and committed to pluralism. Whether the BNP chooses that path remains to be seen. Already, we are seeing BNP activists intimidate Awami League voters on their doorstep, forcing them to vote for their party or face violence and destruction," the 78-year-old added.