Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted in a mass student and public uprising on August 5, 2024, is currently staying in India. After more than a year of silence, her first official interviews have been published by several leading international media outlets.
The interviews — simultaneously released on Wednesday, October 29 — appeared in the French news agency AFP, US-based Reuters, and the British newspaper The Independent. In these features, Sheikh Hasina spoke on a range of political and personal issues.
All three media outlets claimed exclusivity, each describing their piece as the first interview with Sheikh Hasina since her ouster.
For Reuters, the interview was conducted via email by Krishna N. Das in New Delhi, Ruma Paul in Dhaka, and Sarita Chaganti Singh in New Delhi. The AFP said it conducted a written interview from New Delhi, but did not name the interviewer. Meanwhile, The Independent’s Maroosha Muzaffar published her interview without specifying how she contacted Hasina, making it unclear whether there was any direct interaction.
It is notable that the political activities of the Awami League, Hasina’s party, remain banned in Bangladesh. She is also facing trial at the International Crimes Tribunal, accused of crimes against humanity related to the July coup, as well as violent repression and enforced disappearances during her government’s tenure.
Earlier, the tribunal had also barred the media and social platforms from publishing or disseminating any hate speech by the ousted prime minister.