Sajeeb Wazed Joy, the son of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, says his mother had intended to retire from politics after serving out her term before she was overthrown by the July Uprising. He made the remarks to Al Jazeera English in a video interview published on Thursday. Asked if Hasina had planned to retire from politics or if she meant to re-enter politics if she had the chance to return to Bangladesh, Joy said:

“No, she is old. My mother’s elderly. This was going to be her last term anyway. She wanted to retire.”

The interviewer then asked if this spelled the end of the Hasina era.

Joy answered, “Possibly, yes…”

However, he added that the Awami League still intended to go on.

“Awami League is a political party,” he said. “It’s the oldest party. It’s been around for 70 years. It’s, it will continue with or without her. She… No one lives forever.”

Asked about the Awami League’s brutal response to nationwide protests in July 2024, Joy said:

“If you’ve listened to my statements online, I have said again and again the Awami League mishandled the protests. Our government mishandled the protests.”

When the interviewer pushed back, stating that the word “mishandle” was downplaying the killings of hundreds of protesters by security forces, he responded:

“If my mother had been willing to kill protesters, she would still be in power. You look at what’s happening in Iran right now. Are they able to do anything? No. My mother… my mother stated… my mother’s statement again and again, and to me, our, my conversation that day was: ‘They are marching on the prime minister’s residence, our special security force and uh, the prime minister’s guards are ready to defend her, but if we, if that happens, hundreds will die. I don’t want their blood on my hands.’”

“That is what my mother said. During that time, hundreds of police officers were killed. Hundreds of our activists were killed as well.”

Following the July Uprising, reporting from Al Jazeera and the BBC analysed and verified audio recordings in which Hasina is heard to authorise the use of lethal force against protesters. In the clip, she is heard saying: “I’ve issued an open order, now they will use lethal weapons and shoot wherever they find them.”

Joy claims the clip was taken out of context.

“I have put that full clip on my Facebook page,” he said. “She says she orders the arrests of protesters and lethal force to protect property and life against militants. There were militants involved in [the protests]. There are videos online of civilians with weapons…”

The interviewer then states a search of Joy’s social media pages had not found any such clip and asked him to share it. Joy said he would.

Joy also denied that the order had authorised lethal force broadly. He said Hasina’s orders was intended “for violent protesters, armed protesters, terrorists. Not for unarmed protesters… in any country would the government… what happens if there are armed protesters shooting at people and shooting at police? What would they do?”

Asked about specific deaths, such as those of 25-year-old Abu Sayed, 12-year-old Zobaid Hossain Imon, and 25-year-old Mir Rahman Mugdho, he said:

“It was a very violent situation. There were police officers who used excessive force. Our government term, suspended many police officers during that time. We formed a judicial committee to investigate. Why weren’t those investigations continued?”

He added that Hasina had met Abu Sayed’s family after the killing as well as the families of others killed, promising them full investigations into their deaths and accountability for those responsible.

However, Joy also disputed the findings of multiple investigations and watchdogs that put the death toll of the July Uprising around 1,400. He claimed the UN report that determined the toll had blamed deaths after the fall of the Awami League government on its actions.

Asked whether Hasina and the Awami League are unwilling to take accountability for the killings and abuses of state power, he responded, “No, that is not what I’m saying at all. What I’m saying is this. We did not grant immunity to anyone. We wanted justice for everyone. Anyone who was responsible for any deaths…”

When asked if Hasina would be held accountable if she was responsible, Joy said:

“My mother did not order any killings. My mother did not want any deaths.”

‘IF YOU BACK SOMEONE INTO A CORNER, WHAT WILL THEY DO?’

As the upcoming general election looms closer, the Awami League have come out in opposition to the polls and to their ban from contesting them.

Some of Joy’s own words on the matter have been described as incendiary. In a previous interview, he said: “We will not allow elections without the Awami League to go ahead. We will do whatever it takes. If the governments crack down on our protests, then it’s going to lead to violence.”

Asked about this aggressive stance, Joy said: “When you push someone into a corner, what else… what’s going to happen? We don’t want violence. We’re not even being allowed to protest. So what violence is the Awami League committing right now? … What I’m saying is if you back someone into a corner, you do not leave them any options; what are they going to do?”

The interviewer then asked whether this rhetoric and its violent implications were not the very justification the interim government was using to ban the Awami League as a violent threat.

Joy said, “I did not threaten violence. I said that if you suppress the protests with violence, of course there will be violence. I did not ask my protesters to attack.”

“Look, if we had the ability to conduct killings in Bangladesh right now, do you think this regime would still be standing? No. Right now the Awami League… we do not have the violent, uh, personnel, if you will, that perhaps some other organisations have…”

He also disputed allegations that the Awami League was involved in the killing of Inqilab Moncho convener Sharif Osman Hadi.

“I don’t know who the shooter is,” he said. “There have been many names that have been floated.”

“Again, do you see the Awami League out on the streets in Bangladesh? That’s not even happening. We have tens of thousands behind bars. Every time we’ve tried to protest, they’ve just arrested everybody. So, the Awami League is not involved in any violence whatsoever. Our campaign now is asking people not to vote in these rigged elections. That’s what we’re doing.”

BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman has bashed Jamaat-e-Islami and the party’ recent activities during the launch of the election campaign at a rally at the Alia Madrasa ground in Sylhet. He called a member of the audience to the stage and said, “You have been to the Kaaba Sharif. Who owns the Kaaba Sharif?” The man responded, “Allah.”

Tarique then said, “We are all Muslims. Who is the owner of this world that we see in this day and age?” The man again responded, “Allah.”

“Who is the owner of the sun and the stars that we see?” Tarique asked, and the answer came “Allah.”

The BNP Chairman asked, “Who is the owner of heaven?”

“Allah.”

“Who is the owner of hell?”

“Allah,” the man said, as the crowd chanted in unison, “Allah, Allah.”

Then Tarique said: “You all bore witness that the owner of hell is Allah; the owner of heaven is Allah; the owner of this world is Allah; the owner of the Kaaba is Allah. Brother, does anyone else have the power to give away what is owned by Allah? No. So, before the election, if a party says, ‘We will give you this, we will give you that,’ doesn’t that mean ‘I will sell you tickets?’”

“If they speak of things that are not owned by humans – isn’t that ‘Shirk’? If they speak of something that is owned by Allah, which only Allah has control over? Only Allah has rights over everything – Allah has rights above all.

“That is why they are cheating you already. Then think how they will cheat you after the election.”

The BNP chairman said, “They are not only deceiving the people, they are making those who are Muslims commit ‘Shirk’. We seek refuge in Allah.”

“Dear brothers and sisters, this country, this country, this beloved motherland, was liberated at the cost of the lives of millions of people during the war in 1971. We saw what roles people played during the liberation of this motherland. We saw who played a role in hundreds and thousands of our brothers being martyred. The honour of hundreds of thousands of the mothers and sisters of this country was defiled. The people of Bangladesh already know them.”

Tarique said, “We have to unite against this apostacy, this rashness, this lie. We have to take back Bangladesh.

“We have freed the country from tyranny, now we have to establish human rights. Just establishing the right to vote and speak is not enough; we have to make arrangements to empower people and raise them onto their own feet. We have to make arrangements so that every person in Bangladesh can eat properly and live well. We have to make arrangements so that every person can walk safely on the streets. That is what it means to take back Bangladesh.”

Dhaka police detectives have arrested three Chinese nationals for allegedly running an illegal iPhone assembly factory in the capital’s Uttara and Nikunja areas. The arrestees were identified as Tan Jian, Wu Jun, and Dong Hongwei. During drives conducted yesterday, DB officials seized 363 iPhones of various models, a large cache of spare parts, machinery used for assembling phones, eight bottles of foreign liquor, and Tk 26,000 in cash.

Mohiuddin Mahmud Sohel, Detective Branch deputy commissioner of Mirpur Division, disclosed the information during a press briefing at the DMP Media Centre today, saying that a gang had been operating this clandestine business for one year and a half, evading taxes and deceiving customers by selling assembled phones as original products.

Acting on a tip-off, a detective unit conducted a drive at a house in Sector 13 of Uttara West around 3:30pm yesterday. They arrested Tan Jian and seized 58 iPhones from his possession. Based on information provided by him, the team raided a house in Nikunja-1 under Khilkhet Police Station around 5:30pm, where they arrested Wu Jun and Dong Hongwei and discovered a “secret lab”. Police recovered another 305 iPhones, spare parts, and assembly machinery from the Nikunja residence.

DC Mohiuddin said the gang used to import iPhone parts separately to evade taxes. They would then assemble these components in their secret lab to create counterfeit phones that looked identical to the original ones.

“These phones were then supplied to the local market and sold as original iPhones,” the DC said.

“They have been running this fraud for about a year and a half. It is suspected that they have already supplied a large number of fake phones to the market during this period,” he added. When asked if any Bangladeshi nationals were involved, the DB official said they had found the names of some local individuals during the preliminary investigation. “However, we cannot disclose the names at this moment for the sake of the investigation.”

Police said legal action against the arrestees is underway. The DB official also urged the public to remain cautious while purchasing mobile phones. He advised customers to buy phones only from authorised showrooms or reliable sources to avoid being duped by cheap offers for “original” devices.

US President Donald Trump’s administration has put 25 more countries, including Bangladesh, on a list of nations whose citizens could be required to post bonds of up to $15,000 to apply for entry into the US, Reuters reported quoting the State Department website on Tuesday.

“Any citizen or national travelling on a passport issued by one of these countries, who is found otherwise eligible for a B1/B2 visa, must post a bond for $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000,” the State Department website said, adding the amount was determined at the time of the visa interview.

Applicants must agree to the terms of the bond through the US Treasury Department’s online payment platform, Pay.gov, the State Department said.

The list mostly included countries from Africa, Latin America and South Asia. It had a total of 38 countries as of Tuesday. The policy for the newly added nations will go into effect on January 21, the State Department website said.

A State Department pilot programme was launched in August with an initial list of nations. The US government has said the bonds seek to deter visitors from overstaying their visas intended for tourism or business purposes.

Since taking office last January, Trump, a Republican, has pursued a hard-line immigration policy, involving an aggressive deportation drive, revocations of visas and green cards and screening of social media posts and past speeches of immigrants.

Human rights groups have widely condemned Trump’s immigration and travel-related policies, saying they curb due process guarantees and free speech. Trump and his allies say the policies seek to improve domestic security.

• • Preventing overstays: The primary purpose is to create a strong financial incentive for travellers to leave the US before their visa expires.

  • High-risk designation: As of early 2026, the US has expanded this requirement to nearly 38 countries (including many in Africa, such as Nigeria and Angola, as well as nations like Bangladesh and Nepal) that have historically high rates of visa overstays.

  • Compliance insurance: It ensures that if a visitor violates their visa terms, the government has already collected a penalty.
    Key Facts-

  • Refunds: The money is returned if the traveller departs on time or if the visa is denied.

  • Restrictions:Travellers on this programme are often limited to a single entry, a maximum stay of 30 days, and must enter through specific designated airports (like JFK, Dulles, or Boston Logan).

• Affordability: Because the bond is per person, it has become a significant barrier for families or travellers from lower-income backgrounds.

List of the Countries:

The Workers Party of Bangladesh and the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal–Jasod have decided to stay away from the forthcoming general elections and the referendum on the July charter, scheduled for February 12. The two political parties, also the allies of the Awami League-led alliance from 2008 to August 2024, in separate statements, said that they did not submit nomination papers to contest the election and alleged that the election would be held in a unilateral manner.

They also said that cases filed against their party leaders in connection with the July uprising had not been withdrawn, and that this was why they had been refraining from participating in the election.

None of the leaders and activists of the Workers Party of Bangladesh, led by Rashed Khan Menon, and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal–Jasod, led by Hasanul Haque Inu, submitted nomination papers for any of the constituencies across the country.

Besides, several leaders of different Jatiya Party factions who initially collected nomination forms refrained from submitting the papers on Monday, the last date for filing nomination papers.

Jatiya Party faction chairman Anwar Hossain Manju, JP’s another faction secretary general ABM Ruhul Amin Hawlader, senior co-chairman Kazi Firoz Rashid, and Krishok Sramik Janata League president Abdul Kader Siddique are among the senior leaders of the parties who did not submit their nomination papers within the scheduled time, leaders of the parties said.

They alleged that the interim government and the Election Commission had failed to ensure a level playing field for all political parties. They said that cases filed against their leaders after the July uprising had not been withdrawn. The JP faction in November launched a political alliance named ‘National Democratic Front’, comprising 18 political parties, and had initially prepared to contest the national election.

However, JP faction chairman Anisul Islam Mahmud and executive chairman Mujibul Haque Chunnu submitted their nomination papers on Sunday for their respective constituencies. The Awami League regime was ousted from power on August 5, 2024 amid a mass uprising and the Professor Muhammad Yunus-led interim government took office on August 8, 2024.

Khaleda Zia, three-time former prime minister of Bangladesh and chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, passed away at 6:00am on Tuesday. She was 80. At the time of her death, those present at the hospital included her eldest son and BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman, his wife Zobaida Rahman, their daughter Zaima Rahman, Khaleda Zia’s younger brother Shamim Eskander and her elder sister Selina Islam.

BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and members of the medical board were also in attendance. The BNP media cell confirmed the news. Khaleda Zia had been undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka for various health complications. She was admitted to the hospital on November 23, and following medical examinations, doctors confirmed that she had developed a lung infection. The veteran politician had long been suffering from multiple health conditions, including arthritis, diabetes, kidney complications and eye problems.

Earlier, she travelled to London on January 7 for advanced medical treatment and returned to Bangladesh on May 6 after receiving medical care for 117 days. Born in Dinajpur district, Khaleda Zia rose to national prominence following the assassination of her husband, President Ziaur Rahman, in 1981.

She later led the BNP to multiple electoral victories and served as prime minister from 1991 to 1996, briefly in 1996, and again from 2001 to 2006.

Armed Forces Day will be observed on Friday, November 21, with due respect and enthusiasm across the country. Various programs will take place nationwide to mark the occasion. The day’s events will begin with special Fazr prayers and supplications at all army, navy, and air force base mosques, seeking the welfare and prosperity of the country, the advancement of the armed forces, and the blessings for the souls of the martyrs who sacrificed their lives during the Liberation War.

On this occasion, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Md. Shahabuddin, and Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus have issued separate messages. According to a press release from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), to honor the members of the armed forces who sacrificed their lives in the 1971 Liberation War, the President and the Chief Adviser will lay floral wreaths tomorrow morning at the Eternal Flame at Dhaka Cantonment.

Following this, the Army Chief General Waker-uz-Zaman, Navy Chief Admiral Mohammad Nazmul Hasan, and Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmud Khan will also lay floral wreaths on behalf of their respective services.

The Chief Adviser will exchange greetings with the three service chiefs at his designated office in the Armed Forces Division at Dhaka Cantonment and spend some time in courtesy meetings. Subsequently, the service chiefs will also pay a courtesy call on the President at Bangabhaban.

On the occasion, the Chief Adviser will host a reception at the Army Multipurpose Complex, Dhaka Cantonment, for selected gallantry award-winning freedom fighters and their heirs. During the event, the Chief Adviser will present commemorative gifts and exchange greetings with 101 selected gallantry award recipients and their heirs, in the presence of senior officials.

A reception program will also be organized in the afternoon at Senakunja, Dhaka Cantonment, where distinguished guests will attend.

Besides Dhaka, receptions will be held at military bases in Barishal, Cox’s Bazar, Bogura, Sylhet, Ghatail, Chattogram, Comilla, Jessore, Rangpur, and Khulna, organized by the respective area headquarters.

Across the country, outside Dhaka, various programs will also be held at army garrisons, navy, and air force bases to mark the day. Navy ships, specially decorated in Dhaka, Khulna, Chandpur, Barishal, and Chattogram, will remain anchored at nearby jetties for public viewing until sunset.

To highlight the significance of Armed Forces Day, Bangladesh Television will broadcast a special program, ‘Bisesh Onirban’, following the 8:00 PM Bangla news on Thursday. Bangladesh Betar will air ‘Bisesh Durbar’ on the evening of November 21.

The ‘Bisesh Onirban’ program produced for television will also be broadcast later on private TV channels. Special inserts will be published in national newspapers, and various educational institutions run by the armed forces will hold essay and drawing competitions in observance of the day.

The High Court has directed that all activities under the contract related to the Neomuring Container Terminal at Chittagong Port remain suspended until the pending case is resolved. The order was given verbally on Thursday (November 20) by a High Court bench led by Justice Fatema Nazib.

During the hearing, the government assured the court that all activities under the contract would remain halted until the verdict is delivered.

Earlier, on July 30, the High Court issued a rule in response to a writ challenging the validity of the contract between Chittagong Port Authority and a foreign company regarding the management of the Neomuring Container Terminal.

The writ was filed by Mirza Walid Hossain, President of the Bangladesh Young Economists Forum, questioning the legality of handing over the terminal to the foreign company.

The Jackson Heights Beautification Group (JHBG) hosted its annual Halloween parade on Friday, Oct. 31, along 37th Avenue, from 89th Street to 76th Street in Jackson Heights. This marked the 34th annual Jackson Heights Halloween parade. Attendees of the parade were also given bags of treats as a reward for their participation.

People of all ages took part in the parade. JHBG Co-Chairs John McCaffrey Jr. and Edwin O’Keefe-Westley sponsored this event. O’Keefe-Westley also serves as a member of Queens Community Board 3. Live music was performed during the parade.

Multiple local leaders were also on hand for the parade, including Council Member Shekar Krishnan, State Senator Jessica Ramos and Assemblymembers Jessica González-Rojas, Catalina Cruz and Larinda Hooks.

NEW DELHI: Ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said that millions of Awami League supporters will boycott next year’s national election after the party was barred from contesting. Speaking to Reuters from exile in New Delhi on Wednesday, Hasina, 78, said she would not return to Bangladesh under any government formed after an election that excludes her party. She fled to India in August 2024 following a deadly student-led uprising that toppled her 15-year rule.

An interim administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has been governing Bangladesh since her removal and has pledged to hold general elections in February 2025.

“The ban on the Awami League is not only unjust, it is self-defeating,” Hasina said in her first media comments since her ouster. “Millions of people support our party, and they will not vote if we are excluded. You cannot disenfranchise millions and expect a functioning democracy.”

Bangladesh has more than 126 million registered voters. The Awami League and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) have long dominated the political landscape, and the BNP is widely expected to win the upcoming polls.

The Election Commission suspended the Awami League’s registration in May, while the Yunus-led government banned all political party activities, citing national security concerns and ongoing war crimes investigations into senior Awami League leaders.

“We are not asking our supporters to back other parties,” Hasina said. “We still hope reason will prevail and we will be allowed to contest.”

Hasina, credited with transforming Bangladesh’s economy but accused of human rights abuses and suppressing dissent, won a fourth consecutive term in 2024 in an election boycotted by the opposition.

She is now facing charges of crimes against humanity at the International Crimes Tribunal over the violent crackdown on student protesters between July and August 2024. A verdict is expected on November 13.

A United Nations report estimates that up to 1,400 people were killed and thousands injured during those protests — the deadliest unrest since Bangladesh’s 1971 Liberation War.

Prosecutors allege that Hasina oversaw abductions, torture, and extrajudicial killings through secret detention centres operated by security forces. Hasina has denied the accusations, calling the proceedings “politically motivated.”

“These are kangaroo courts, and the verdicts are predetermined,” she told Reuters. “I was denied any real opportunity to defend myself.”

Despite the turmoil, Hasina said the Awami League would eventually return to play a legitimate role in Bangladesh’s future — in government or in opposition — and that her family does not have to lead it.

“It’s not about me or my family,” she said. “For Bangladesh to move forward, there must be a return to constitutional rule and political stability.”

Hasina, whose father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and three brothers were killed in a 1975 military coup, said she lives freely in Delhi but remains cautious because of her family’s history.

A Reuters journalist recently spotted her walking quietly through Delhi’s Lodhi Garden, accompanied by two personal security guards.

“I would love to go home — if the government there is legitimate and the rule of law truly prevails,” she said.

Her departure initially triggered attacks on Awami League workers, though the streets have since remained calm. However, sporadic clashes erupted earlier this month during the signing of a state reform charter.