Bangladesh jails UK MP Tulip Siddiq for two years
On Monday 1 December 2025, a court in Dhaka sentenced Labour MP Tulip Siddiq to two years in prison in a case heard in her absence. Prosecutors alleged she used family influence over her aunt, former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, to secure a plot of land for relatives. Siddiq, who remains in London, denies wrongdoing and says the case is politically driven.
Judges also convicted other family members. Siddiq’s mother, Sheikh Rehana, received seven years and Hasina five. All were fined Tk 100,000 (about $813), and officials said the land allocation would be revoked. Fourteen others were implicated in the same case.
Siddiq called the process “flawed and farcical” and described the ruling as a “kangaroo court”. Her team say she was never served with a summons or charge sheet and learned of developments via the media.
Senior British lawyers have publicly questioned the fairness of the proceedings. In a letter to Bangladesh’s High Commissioner in London, figures including Cherie Blair KC, Sir Robert Buckland KC and Dominic Grieve KC warned Siddiq had not had a proper chance to defend herself or instruct counsel. The letter cites reports of intimidation of a lawyer engaged to act for her.
Prosecutors in Dhaka say Siddiq was tried as a Bangladeshi citizen and that they have a passport, a national ID and a tax number in her name. Siddiq’s lawyers counter that these documents are forged and that she has not held a Bangladeshi passport since childhood.
This ruling lands amid a wider reckoning over abuses linked to the 2024 protest crackdown. On 17 November 2025, Sheikh Hasina was sentenced to death in absentia by Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal over the killings of an estimated 1,400 people. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch condemned the verdict and the use of capital punishment, citing basic fair‑trial concerns.
If you are studying law, note what “in absentia” means in practice: a defendant cannot test evidence or instruct lawyers in person. Rights groups say that undermines fairness, and they have raised those worries in recent Bangladeshi cases alongside concerns over political pressure.
In Westminster, Siddiq remains an MP and retains the Labour whip. A party spokesperson said it could not recognise the judgment and that she had not been informed of the charges. She resigned as Economic Secretary to the Treasury on 14 January 2025 after an ethics review found no breach of the Ministerial Code but warned of reputational risk.
Does a foreign conviction remove an MP automatically? No. Automatic disqualification applies only to prison terms of more than 12 months when a person is detained in the UK or Ireland. Recall petitions can follow certain UK convictions, but overseas convictions do not automatically trigger recall. The House can still consider disciplinary action.
Could Siddiq be extradited? Reports often say there is “no extradition treaty” with Bangladesh. In legal terms, Bangladesh is a Category 2, type B territory under the Extradition Act 2003. That means an extradition request is possible but must include prima facie evidence, be certified by the Home Secretary and tested in a UK court; it is not automatic.
Bangladesh is currently run by an interim administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, with national elections scheduled for February 2026. Appeals and any further applications by prosecutors could extend this case across that political timetable.
For readers learning media literacy, two checks help. First, separate the land‑allotment case from the human‑rights cases about the 2024 crackdown; they are different proceedings. Second, when you see “no extradition treaty”, look up the UK’s own guidance, which lists Bangladesh as a Category 2B partner-so requests are possible, but must meet a higher evidential bar in UK courts.