Who is Tulip Siddiq? Sheikh Hasina’s niece and British MP sentenced to two years in prison by Bangladesh court

What exactly happened?

A court in Bangladesh found Siddiq guilty of using her “special influence” as a British MP to pressure her aunt, former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, into approving land transfers to Siddiq’s mother, brother and sister. The Guardian reported that Siddiq’s mother, Sheikh Rehana, was given a seven-year sentence and named as the main accused.

The case was heard in absentia. Neither Siddiq, Hasina, nor other family members were present when the verdict was delivered. Lawyers who attempted to represent Siddiq and the others told The Guardian they faced threats and were blocked from defending the accused.

Siddiq told The Guardian that the ruling should be met with “the contempt it deserves”. She said: “This whole process has been flawed and farcical from the beginning to the end.”

The Labour Party said it “cannot recognise this judgment” because Siddiq was not given details of the charges and was unable to defend herself.

Who is Tulip Siddiq?

Tulip Siddiq, 42, has been a Labour MP since 2015, representing Hampstead and Highgate, and earlier Hampstead and Kilburn. After Labour formed the government last year, she became Economic Secretary to the Treasury and City Minister.

Siddiq is the daughter of Sheikh Rehana, the younger sister of Sheikh Hasina and the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding leader of Bangladesh. Rehana and Hasina survived the 1975 military coup in which most of their family was killed because they were abroad. Rehana later received political asylum in the UK.

Why was Tulip Siddiq tried in Bangladesh?

Prosecutors in Bangladesh accused Siddiq of contacting senior officials in Hasina’s office to arrange valuable land deals for her family. They claimed she made calls, sent messages and travelled to Dhaka to secure the plots. The Guardian reported that no physical evidence of these communications was presented; instead, prosecutors relied on statements from two former officials at the prime minister’s residence.

Siddiq has denied all the allegations. She said she has not held a Bangladeshi passport since childhood and has never paid taxes in Bangladesh. She argued that she was targeted because of political pressure on the Hasina family following the former prime minister’s fall from power in 2024.

The political context in Bangladesh

After widespread protests in 2024, Hasina was ousted, and an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus took charge. A central task of the interim administration has been prosecuting alleged corruption and human rights abuses from Hasina’s 15 years in power.

Last month, Bangladesh’s international crimes tribunal convicted Hasina of crimes against humanity for her role in the killing of more than 1,000 protesters. She later received a 21-year sentence in a separate corruption case.

Hasina has been living in exile in India since 2024. India has not responded to Bangladesh’s extradition requests. Her party, the Awami League, said the new trials are “a political mechanism used for political ends,” according to the report.

What’s next?

Siddiq said she remains focused on her work as an MP. “My focus has always been my constituents in Hampstead and Highgate,” she told The Guardian. “I refuse to be distracted by the dirty politics of Bangladesh.”