Former Bangladeshi cabinet minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury claimed in an interview that the ousting of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024 was financed by U.S. government agencies and private entities linked to the Clinton family. Chowdhury, who served as the country’s shipping minister during the turmoil, alleged that the uprising was orchestrated by non-governmental organizations connected to USAID.
Hasina, who had led Bangladesh for 15 years, fled the nation following weeks of violent student-led protests that resulted in at least 700 deaths, according to some reports. An interim government has governed Bangladesh since then, with plans to hold elections in 2026. Chowdhury stated that the United States opposed Hasina’s refusal to condemn Russia during the Ukraine conflict, citing her country’s abstention from voting on UN resolutions criticizing Moscow.
“Bangladesh’s position was to abstain from voting,” Chowdhury said, adding that many South Asian nations “slavishly followed” Western directives. He emphasized Bangladesh’s reliance on Russia for essential imports like wheat, food products, and fertilizers, calling the country a “long-term ally.” The former minister argued that Hasina’s government advocated for peace amid the conflict, which he claimed was “escalated by certain powers,” but this stance drew criticism from some nations.
Bangladesh abstained from voting on multiple UN resolutions condemning Russia’s actions in Ukraine in 2022 and 2023. The Russian embassy in Dhaka later expressed gratitude for Bangladesh’s position.
