Key facts
- Ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina plans to return from exile in India around December.
- She intends to surrender to authorities along with senior party colleagues.
- Hasina faces a death sentence in Bangladesh for ordering a crackdown on a student-led uprising.
- She denies the charges and wishes to return to her home country.
- Hasina has been actively reorganizing her party, the Awami League, from exile.
Ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina plans to return from exile in India around December with senior party colleagues to surrender to authorities, she told Reuters. Hasina, who faces a death sentence in Bangladesh for ordering a deadly crackdown on a student-led uprising, stated her intention to return to her home country despite potential arrest or death.
Hasina, 78, who fled Bangladesh in 2024 after protests ended her 20 years as prime minister, denied the charges from exile and expressed a desire to return to her home soil. She stated that her party leaders and workers are being subjected to tremendous repression, and if death comes, she wants it to be on her own soil.
A return could sharpen political divisions in Bangladesh and potentially improve strained ties with India, which deteriorated after New Delhi gave her refuge. Bangladesh has repeatedly urged India to extradite her. Hasina said she has not consulted with any foreign government on her return plans and this is the first time she has set out a timetable for her return or stated that other exiled leaders would do so.
Hasina, a dominant figure in Bangladesh for half a century, was credited with turning around the economy but her long rule generated accusations of crushing dissent. She believes that once proceedings start, it will be clear to the people how farcical the court is. She also stated that democracy, voting rights, and political rights are not subjects for secret talks and that she is not worried about jail time, having been arrested several times before.
Hasina has held online meetings covering 125 of Bangladesh's 300 parliamentary constituencies as part of efforts to reorganise the Awami League. She stated that even if she is convicted and cannot contest elections, the Awami League should not be suspended, leaving the judgment to the people.