‘Yunus a murderous fascist’: Sheikh Hasina calls for UN probe into events since her ouster

Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday accused Muhammad Yunus, the head of the country’s interim government, of being a “murderous fascist” and called for a United Nations investigation into the unrest and political developments since she was ousted.

Hasina said that the UN should “conduct a new and truly impartial investigation into the events of the past year”. Only the “purification of truth” would allow Bangladesh to reconcile and move forward, she said.

The comments were made in an audio speech played at a press conference held at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of South Asia in Delhi. This is being viewed as one of her first major public addresses since losing power.

The former prime minister said that the Bangladeshi people must “restore democracy by removing the Yunus administration”. The country “will not experience free and fair polls” until the unelected Yunus government remains in power, she said.

The ousted prime minister alleged that Bangladesh had entered “an age of terror”, claiming that press freedom had been “extinguished”, religious minorities faced continued persecution, and law and order had collapsed.

She called on the Yunus government to put an end to the “daily acts of violence and lawlessness” to stabilise the country and “deliver an iron-clad guarantee” ensuring the safety of...

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