‘This was going to be her last term’: Joy tells Al Jazeera about Hasina

Sajeeb Wazed Joy, son of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, has said his mother had already planned to step away from politics, describing her removal from power as “in a sense the end of the Hasina era”.

Speaking to Al Jazeera in Washington DC, Joy said Hasina, who is now living in India under government protection, is elderly and had intended that term of her government to be her final one.

“...This was going to be her last term anyway. She wanted to retire,” he said, adding that the Awami League would continue to exist without her leadership. “It’s the oldest party. It’s been around for 70 years. It will continue with or without her. No one lives forever.”

Hasina was ousted in August 2024 following weeks of mass protests that culminated in a violent crackdown by security forces. Hundreds of people were killed -- 1,400 deaths according to UN estimates -- during the unrest, prompting widespread domestic and international criticism.

Responding to reports by Al Jazeera and the BBC that cited audio recordings in which Hasina appeared to authorise the use of lethal weapons, Joy said the clips had been taken out of context. He claimed the orders referred to protecting lives and property against militants, not to targeting peaceful protesters.

Responding to a question on Bangladesh’s extradition request, Joy said India would not hand over Hasina, arguing that there was no evidence against her and that New Delhi followed due process. He said India was currently the safest place for her, though she wanted to return home and retire.

Regarding accusations of the Awami League inciting violence and links to the killing of youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi, Joy said the party currently lacks the capacity to carry out such attacks. “If we had the ability to conduct killings in Bangladesh right now, do you think this regime would still be standing?” he said.