Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday addressed the media for the first time in two years via video link from New Delhi, coinciding with the second anniversary of her ouster following the student-led uprising in 2024. The address comes amid renewed political tensions between Dhaka and the Awami League, with India distancing itself from the private event.

The press conference was held at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of South Asia in New Delhi. The date also coincides with the second anniversary of the fall of the Hasina government on August 5, 2024.

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I watched Bangladesh suffer: Sheikh Hasina

“For the last two years, I watched my beloved Bangladesh suffer. This is not the Bangladesh we built, this is not the Bangladesh for which 3 million people sacrificed their lives in 1971. Let me begin with the truth about July and August 2024,” she said.

“It was not a peaceful student movement. From the beginning, my government tried to resolve the issue peacefully through dialogue, legal process, and patience. But behind the language of reform, organised groups were working to turn students demand into violent political instrument,” she further said.

“Muhammad Yunus himself said this was a meticulously designed movement, led by a mastermind. His own words expose the truth. It was not simply a spontaneous student protest. There was no visible or responsible leadership, instructions were given invisibly; it was organised, directed and used to create a path to power outside ballot box,” she said.

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When will Sheikh Hasina return to Bangladesh?

The former Bangladesh PM said that she will return to Dhaka by December this year. “They may arrest me on my return, they may even kill me. Still, I have to go,” she said.

“I call upon the international community and all the friends of Bangladesh to stand with the people of Bangladesh in their struggle for democracy, justice and peace. A stable Bangladesh matters for South Asia and for the Bay of Bengal,” she further added.