The son and adviser of ousted Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said on Sunday that supporters of her Awami League would block February’s national election if a ban on the party was not lifted, warning that protests could escalate into violence.
Sajeeb Wazed's remarks came a day before a Dhaka court was due to deliver a televised verdict that is expected to convict Hasina, 78, in absentia on charges of crimes against humanity for a deadly crackdown on student-led protests in 2024. She denies wrongdoing and says the case is politically motivated.
A United Nations report estimated that up to 1,400 people were killed and thousands wounded — most by gunfire from security forces — during anti-government demonstrations between July 15 and Aug. 5 last year, the worst political violence in Bangladesh since its 1971 independence war.
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