Key facts
- Ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina faces imprisonment if she returns to Bangladesh.
- Hasina plans to return from exile in India in December and surrender to court.
- She was sentenced to death in absentia by Bangladesh's war-crimes court.
- The charges relate to ordering a crackdown on a student-led uprising.
- Hasina denies the charges and has been living in New Delhi since 2024.
- Bangladesh's current government is led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
Ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will face imprisonment if she returns to the country from self-imposed exile in India, according to a senior Bangladeshi official. Hasina, who has been living in New Delhi since 2024, has stated her intention to return in December and voluntarily surrender to the court.
Shama Obaed Islam, Bangladesh's state minister for foreign affairs, told reporters that Hasina is a "convicted criminal" and will face legal proceedings as per Bangladeshi law, including jail time. Hasina was sentenced to death in absentia by the country's war-crimes court in November for allegedly ordering a deadly crackdown on a student-led uprising. She has consistently denied these charges.
Bangladesh is currently governed by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's administration, which assumed office in February following elections amidst two years of political instability. The government has previously requested India to extradite Hasina, a request that New Delhi is reportedly examining.
In a recent interview, Hasina expressed her plan to return and encouraged other fugitive party leaders and activists living abroad to do the same and face trial together. Obaed Islam characterized Hasina's statement as an effort to rally exiled party members.