India Allows Exiled Bangladeshi Prime Minister to Give Public Speech, Drawing Condemnation from Dhaka

Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina recently delivered her first public speech in over a year since fleeing to India, and Dhaka expressed shock and anger at India's decision to allow the event.

Agence France-Presse reported that Hasina stepped down in August 2024 amidst massive student-led demonstrations, ending her 15-year authoritarian rule, and subsequently fled to neighboring India. She delivered her first public speech since going into exile at a press club in New Delhi on Friday (January 23).

In an audio recording of her speech, she said that under the leadership of interim leader Muhammad Yunus, "Bangladesh will never have free and fair elections."

The report stated that over 100,000 people watched the speech online. According to the Indian English news channel CNN-News18, Hasina accused the interim government led by Yunus of being "fascist and corrupt," and claimed that minorities and women in Bangladesh were being attacked.

A court in Dhaka sentenced Hasina to death by hanging last November for crimes against humanity, incitement to violence, ordering killings, and failing to prevent atrocities.

The Bangladeshi Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on Sunday (January 25) condemning India for allowing Hasina to speak in New Delhi. "The government and people of Bangladesh are shocked and outraged by this."

The statement said: "Allowing this event to take place in the Indian capital, and allowing mass murderer Hasina to publicly deliver hate speech... is a blatant insult to the people and government of Bangladesh."

Dhaka called India's actions a "dangerous precedent" that could "seriously damage bilateral relations."

Following Hasina's resignation, Bangladesh experienced a period of turmoil, with Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus serving as the chief advisor of the interim government until elections are held. The general election is scheduled for February 12, when voters will elect a new leader.

Since Hasina's overthrow, India's past support for her has strained relations between the two countries. Dhaka has demanded that India repatriate Hasina, but New Delhi has yet to respond.