🔴 Tulip Siddiq sentenced in Bangladesh after trial in absentia

Labour MP Tulip Siddiq has been sentenced to two years in prison in Bangladesh after being convicted in her absence over allegations she used political influence to help her relatives secure land – a verdict she has condemned as a “kangaroo court” and “flawed from beginning to end.”

Tulip Siddiq handed jail sentence in Bangladesh after trial held in her absence

British Labour MP Tulip Siddiq has been handed a two-year prison sentence in Bangladesh after being convicted in her absence over allegations she helped secure a plot of land for family members. The mother-of-two, who resigned as a minister in January over scrutiny of her ties to her aunt and former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, denounced the proceedings as a “kangaroo court” and a “Kafkaesque nightmare”.

Siddiq was sentenced alongside 16 others over claims the land – in the outskirts of Dhaka – was unlawfully allocated through political influence. The court also imposed a fine of 100,000 Bangladeshi taka (£620). Failure to pay could add six months to her sentence. Siddiq remains in London and is not expected to serve time, with the UK having no extradition treaty with Bangladesh.

She was tried in absentia. Siddiq said she has never been served documents, charges or even notified about the proceedings. “There’s been absolutely no summons, no charge sheet. I have had no contact whatsoever from the Bangladeshi authorities,” she said. “The only reason I know I’ve been convicted is because I read it in the newspapers.”

Court documents alleged Siddiq used “special power” over her aunt to secure the land for family members. She strongly rejects all accusations and says she has instructed lawyers in both countries. Her party voiced serious concerns over due process. A Labour spokesperson said: “Tulip Siddiq has not had access to a fair legal process in this case and has never been informed of the details of the charges against her.”

Powerful political forces are also shaping the case. Hasina – who fled Bangladesh after her government was toppled during mass protests in 2024 – was sentenced in related cases to prison and, separately, to death over a violent crackdown on demonstrators. Her Awami League party labelled the latest verdicts “politically driven” and said the process would not pass “any reasonable test of judicial fairness”

Bangladesh’s interim government has launched a series of sweeping corruption prosecutions against Hasina, family members and former associates. Siddiq faces other outstanding investigations, though she maintains she has done nothing wrong and says the charges are “false and vexatious”.

For now, Siddiq retains the Labour whip and remains a sitting MP. She says she will continue to challenge the case and insists she has been denied any proper opportunity to respond.