Sajeeb Wazed, the son of Bangladesh's ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, has admitted that his mother's government 'completely mishandled' the Gen Z-led protests in 2024 that ultimately brought down the Awami League government. In an interview with The Independent, Wazed said the police response was 'brutal and unnecessary' and there was a 'failure of communication and a failure of judgement'.
Wazed, who is now banned from contesting elections, urged loyalists to boycott what he called a 'sham' election scheduled for Thursday, which he claims is manipulated to favour the Jamaat-e-Islami party. He warned that the rise of the once-outlawed Islamist party threatens the secular character of Bangladesh and has led to targeted violence against minorities.
The protests, which began as a student movement, escalated into a popular uprising after a government crackdown that resulted in up to 1,400 deaths, according to the UN. Hasina fled to India in July 2024 as protesters marched on her palace. Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus stepped in to lead an interim government, which later banned the Awami League from politics.
Wazed acknowledged that the government used excessive force and let the situation 'get completely out of hand', but he placed the blame on senior party leaders who had become 'authoritarian' after years in power. He said he had recommended that Hasina replace some of these officials, but his advice was not heeded.
Hasina, Bangladesh's longest-serving prime minister, was sentenced to death in absentia in November 2024 for crimes against humanity, a decision that drew fierce criticism. Wazed dismissed the Yunus administration's efforts as a 'mockery of justice', claiming it has granted immunity for the deaths of police officers and others.
