‘Yunus A Murderous Fascist’: Sheikh Hasina Attacks Interim Regime In First Public Address From Exile in India
New Delhi: In her inaugural public address since arriving in India in 2024, former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina delivered a vehement critique of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, characterizing his leadership as an “illegal, violent” regime. Speaking via an audio message to an audience at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club in New Delhi, Hasina described the current state of Bangladesh as an era defined by terror, lawlessness, and the exile of democratic principles.
The event, titled ‘Save Democracy in Bangladesh,’ drew attendance from members of the Bangladeshi diaspora and several former ministers of Hasina’s Awami League government. Although absent in person, Hasina’s rhetoric was uncompromising. She repeatedly branded Yunus a “murderous fascist,” “usurer,” “money launderer,” and “power-hungry traitor,” urging her supporters to “overthrow the foreign-serving puppet regime.”
Hasina framed the ongoing political turmoil as an existential threat to the nation’s sovereignty and constitution. “Bangladesh stands today at the edge of an abyss,” she stated, invoking the legacy of her father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and the Liberation War. She alleged that since her removal from office on August 5, 2024 which she termed a “meticulously engineered conspiracy” the nation has been reduced to “a vast prison, an execution ground, a valley of death.”
According to the former premier, “Democracy is now in exile,” with human rights “trampled into the dust” and press freedom extinguished. She painted a grim picture of daily life, citing unchecked violence against women and minorities, alongside widespread looting and extortion. “Life and property have no security. Law and order have collapsed,” she asserted.
Directing her fiercest accusations at Yunus, Hasina claimed he was “bleeding the nation dry” and pushing the country toward the “furnace of a multinational conflict” by allegedly conceding territory and resources to foreign interests. “By betraying the nation, the murderous fascist Yunus is pushing our beloved motherland toward disaster,” she warned.
Hasina positioned the Awami League as the sole legitimate guardian of Bangladesh’s pluralist traditions, describing it as “inexplicably interwoven with our country’s culture and democracy.” She rallied “all democratic, progressive, and non-communal forces of the pro-Liberation camp” to unite and restore the constitution, closing with the slogans “Joy Bangla” and “Joy Bangabandhu.”
FIVE DEMANDS FOR RESTORATION
During her address, Hasina outlined five specific demands she deemed essential for national healing:
- Removal of the Administration: She called for the ousting of the “illegal Yunus administration” to enable free and fair elections, stating, “Bangladesh will never experience free and fair elections until the shadow of the Yunus clique is lifted.”
- End to Violence: She demanded an immediate halt to street violence and lawlessness to ensure economic recovery and stability.
- Protection of Minorities: Hasina sought an “ironclad guarantee” for the safety of religious minorities, women, and vulnerable groups.
- Cessation of ‘Lawfare’: She urged an end to the use of legal processes to intimidate journalists and opposition figures, calling for the restoration of judicial impartiality.
- UN Investigation: Finally, she requested a “new and truly impartial investigation” by the United Nations into the events of the past year to establish the truth.
“The international community stands with you,” she assured her supporters. “Together we are strong, and together we can make our demands heard.”
This address follows a previous interview with Indian media where Hasina broke her silence from her undisclosed location in Delhi. In that interaction, she recounted the events of her ouster, the destruction of her family’s historic home, and warned of rising authoritarianism and extremist influence under the current interim government.