In the wake of a Dhaka tribunal’s controversial death sentence against former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her son and political confidant, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, has unleashed a torrent of criticism against the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government. Speaking from exile in the United States and India, Joy has portrayed the verdict as a sham orchestrated by an unelected regime bent on dismantling Bangladesh’s secular foundations and turning it into a “failed state and an Islamist terrorist state.”
Over the past week, Joy has granted exclusive interviews to three major news agenciesโIANS, ANI, and Reutersโdelivering a barrage of quotes that blend personal defiance, legal dissection, and calls for grassroots resistance. These statements, rich in detail and unsparing in their accusations, paint a picture of a son not just defending his mother but rallying a movement to reclaim Bangladesh’s future.
Across these outlets, Joy’s narrative coalesces into a revolutionary clarion: the verdict is reversible under the rule of law, Yunus’s grip is fracturing, and Awami League’s 14 million membersโrooted in villages and unionsโhold the power. He urges: “Rise like you did in โ71… This is the second Liberation War.”
As Dhaka invokes the treaty and India weighs refusal amid jihadist warnings, Joy’s words echo beyond headlines, fueling a grassroots storm that could redefine Bangladesh’s volatile path.
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The death sentence, handed down on November 17 by Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT-BD), stems from charges of crimes against humanity tied to the violent crackdown on student-led quota reform protests in July-August 2024. A United Nations report estimated up to 1,400 deaths and thousands wounded, mostly from security forces’ gunfire, in what became Bangladesh’s deadliest political violence since its 1971 independence war.
Hasina, who was flown to India by a military aircraft on August 5, 2024, amid the uprisingโsegments of which were allegedly hijacked by Islamist and Pakistan-leaning elementsโhas called the proceedings a “politically motivated charade” and a “foregone conclusion.” The Awami League, her party, challenges the death toll and demands a reinvestigation.
Joy’s interviews, conducted amid escalating tensionsโincluding Dhaka’s formal extradition demand to India and surging street violence in Bangladeshโreveal a man channeling revolutionary fervour. He dismisses the Yunus regime as illegitimate, accuses it of judicial sabotage, and urges Awami League supporters to intensify protests, block sham elections, and prepare for a “second liberation war.” Below, we unpack the interviews outlet by outlet, weaving in full quotes, contextual details, and the broader narrative without omission.
IANS Interview
In a wide-ranging exclusive to IANS on November 20, Joy eviscerated the death sentence as a “complete mockery of justice” and the Yunus government as an “unelected, unconstitutional, and illegal” entity puppeteered by Pakistan’s ISI and Jamaat-e-Islami. The interview, conducted from Virginia, delved into the tribunal’s procedural horrors, the regime’s electoral manipulations, extradition impossibilities, India’s steadfast support, and a stark comparison of Yunus to Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi. Joy’s tone was one of unbridled contempt, framing the crisis as “Jamaatโs revenge” for wartime trials that convicted Islamists responsible for three million deaths in 1971.
On the verdict’s illegality, Joy laid bare the tribunal’s manipulations: “This has been done illegally. Itโs a mockery of the law. First of all, there is a government that is unelected, unconstitutional, and illegal. Then, in order to fast-track the trial in tribunals, they had to amend laws, which you can only amend with Parliament. Currently, there is no parliament. So, the process itself was completely illegal. They terminated 17 judges on this tribunal and appointed a new judge who has no experience. He has publicly made a nasty comment about my mother. So, he is clearly biased. They have not allowed my mother to appoint any lawyer. They appointed their own lawyers to defend my mother. In the history of Bangladesh, such trials take years of hearings, but they completed this in 140 days. So, itโs a complete mockery of justice. There has been no due process. This is a joke.”
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He tied the rush directly to electoral sabotage: “Of course, it has got everything to do with elections. They have convicted my mother and amended laws with a malicious motive. They have tried to debar her from contesting elections by proving her guilty with a motivated tribunal, and therefore, it is a total violation of the due process. You canโt ban someone until they have been convicted, which is why they had to rush the conviction. They have also banned our party, the Awami League, from the elections, which is the oldest and largest political party. They have completely banned it. We have almost half of the voters of the country, and now they have no one to vote for. They cannot vote for the party. But they are going ahead with the election. Not only the Awami League, but they have also partially banned the Jatiya Party. They have de facto banned all the secular parties. They have only allowed parties that are right-wing in the election. The whole situation is a charade to install a handpicked government in Bangladesh.”
Extradition, demanded by Dhaka under a bilateral treaty, was dismissed as a non-starter: “For extradition to happen even with a treaty, there has to be law. First, there has to be a legal government, which this government is not. Second, due process has to be followed, which has not been followed. The process itself has to be legal, and the process here is illegal. So, on this basis, legally, India cannot extradite my mother. India has no obligations.” Joy expressed eternal gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi: “I am eternally grateful to PM Modi. He has saved my motherโs life and ensured her safety. He has ensured that my mother continues to live in a safe and secure environment. For this, I am eternally grateful to the Government of India and the people of India.” He added confidence in India’s resolve: “I firmly believe that the Modi government will not give in to the unconstitutional and illegal pressure of an illegal government under Yunus.”
Defying threats of assassination, Joy declared: “They will not be able to kill her. First of all, they canโt get her. And once there is a rule of law, this entire process will be reviewed and thrown into the dustbin. Everything is so illegal and unconstitutional here. It violates every legal principle. Once there is a rule of law, everything will be thrown out. Yunus cannot touch my mother, and he cannot do anything to her.”
Accusations of state failure were visceral: “Pakistan is influencing this government’s decisions. This regime has been helped by Pakistan from the very beginning. Pakistan was involved in protests against my mother. As you have seen, this government is fostering very close ties with Pakistan and letting Pakistani organisations have a free hand in Bangladesh. Lashkar-e-Taibaโtheir commanders have been in Bangladesh, speaking, and have taken credit for the recent bomb attack in New Delhi. So, Bangladesh under Yunus is acting as an extension of Pakistan and a terrorist haven.”
On Yunus’s Nobel, Joy drew a damning parallel: “The Nobel committees never take back their prizes. But look at Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar. She won the Nobel Prize as well. The Peace Prize is basically given by lobbying. But she led in Rohingyas getting killed, and now Yunus is turning Bangladesh into a failed state and an Islamist terrorist state.”
Joy envisioned Hasina’s return: “I am confident that she will return to Bangladesh in the future. She is the daughter of Bangladesh. Our party is the largest. We are not going anywhere. We have millions of supporters.” He highlighted the regime’s crackdown: “Yes, we have tens of thousands of our leaders and activists behind bars. We have 100 members of Parliament who are behind bars. There have been no trials and no investigations. They have no charges but have been denied bail again and again. They are political prisoners. But our party is very big. You canโt arrest everybody, as there is no space in prisons.”
Finally, he framed it as a vendetta: “Of course, this is political revenge. Yunus is backed by Jamaat-e-Islami, which killed 3 million of our people during the War of Independence. Our government finally held trials for that war. This is Jamaatโs revenge, and Jamaat never wanted Bangladesh to be independent from Pakistan. Now, Jamaat is trying to come into power with Yunus and make Bangladesh ‘an extension of Pakistan’.”
The IANS piece underscores the regime’s refusal to respond to these claims, amid Dhaka’s insistence that extradition is a “compulsory responsibility” under the treaty, viewing India’s shelter as an “unfriendly act.”
ANI Interview
Shifting to foreign policy and security threats, Joy’s ANI interview on November 19โfrom Virginiaโthanked India profusely while alerting New Delhi to Bangladesh’s descent into a terrorist hub under Yunus. He detailed the tribunal’s biases, acknowledged his mother’s “mishandling” of initial protests, and alleged ISI arms supplies and USAID-funded regime change. The piece highlights strained India-Bangladesh ties over minorities and borders, with Joy linking Yunus’s 18-month unelected rule to the release of “tens of thousands of terrorists.”
Judicial irregularities dominated: “They terminated 17 judges before the trial, amended laws illegally without parliamentary approval, and barred her defense attorneys from court proceedings. When there is no due process whatsoever, no country is going to extradite.”
India’s lifeline was personal: “India has essentially saved my mother’s life. If she hadn’t left Bangladesh, the militants had planned on killing her.” He speculated: “I think Prime Minister Modi is probably very, very concerned about terrorism from Bangladesh.”
Terror links were explosive: “Without a doubt, these weapons had to have been supplied from somewhere in the subcontinent, and the only possible source is ISI.” On Yunus’s legitimacy: “You’ve had an unelected government staying in power for over a year and a half. Everything has been done undemocratically.” Why no elections? “If Muhammad Yunus was popular, then why would he not have held one election and then run the country with legitimacy?”
On corruption under Hasina: “Corruption existed in Bangladesh, of course… This level of development and economic growth would not have been possible with major corruption.” Joy referenced Trump’s claims of Biden-era USAID funding for the coup and noted the Trump administration’s greater concern for Islamism.
ANI reports no response from Dhaka on judicial claims, prisoner numbers (over 100 ex-MPs), or terrorist releases, as the interim setup defends its tenure for reforms post-“authoritarian rule” without an election timeline.
Reuters Interview
Reuters captured Joy’s pre-verdict fire on November 16, from Washington, D.C., as Dhaka prepared to televise Hasina’s likely conviction. The interview warned of Awami League-led obstructions to February’s polls if the May ban persists, citing national security probes into party leaders. Joy described Hasina’s Delhi exile as regal, predicted the death sentence, and vowed escalation: shutdowns, confrontations, and “whatever it takes” absent international intervention. It notes the garment industry’s protest-hit woes and recent Dhaka blasts (32 on November 12, plus Sunday explosions and torched buses), with 400+ Border Guards deployed.
On the verdict: “We know exactly what the verdict is going to be. They’re televising it. They’re going to convict her, and they’ll probably sentence her to death. What can they do to my mother? My mother is safe in India. India is giving her full security.”
Election defiance: “We will not allow elections without the Awami League to go ahead. Our protests are going to get stronger and stronger, and we will do whatever it takes. Unless the international community does something, eventually there’s probably going to be violence in Bangladesh before these elections … there’s going to be confrontations.”
Protests surge: “Youโre seeing in the last few days shutdowns across the country, massive protests throughout the country, and they’re only going to get bigger.”
Hasina’s resolve: “Sheโs upset, angry, outraged. And we are all determined to fight back by whatever means necessary.” No appeal without democracy: The party won’t contest under the ban, which it views as remorse-denying punishment.
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