Key facts
- Hasina's lawyers at Matrix Chambers wrote to the acting high commissioner at Bangladesh's embassy in Delhi asking for the documents.
- The letter cited the reported revocation of her passport and identity card by the interim government.
- Hasina has told Reuters she plans to return to surrender before a court, with aides saying the date would be announced later.
- Bangladesh's war-crimes court sentenced Hasina to death in November 2025 in her absence; she has denied the charges.
Ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina requested a new passport and national identity card on November 9, 2026, according to a letter seen by Reuters, a step toward her stated plan to return from self-imposed exile in India.
Her lawyers at London-based Matrix Chambers wrote to Preeti Rahman, acting high commissioner at Bangladesh's embassy in Delhi, asking that the applications be processed "expeditiously" on the basis of her Bangladeshi nationality. The letter cited the reported revocation of her existing passport and identity card by the interim government and said the request rested on obligations under international human rights instruments. Rahman and spokespeople for Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in Dhaka did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Hasina, who fled in 2024 after a deadly uprising ended her rule, has told Reuters she intends to return to surrender before a court. Her aides said the date would be announced once formalities were completed. Bangladesh's war-crimes court sentenced her to death in November 2025 in her absence for ordering a deadly crackdown on the student-led uprising; she has denied the charges from exile.
Her Awami League party was the country's largest before it was banned after her fall, and many of her party colleagues have been jailed or are in self-imposed exile in India or elsewhere. Hasina ruled Bangladesh for 20 years as prime minister across multiple terms.