Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said she plans to return to Bangladesh around December along with senior leaders of the Awami League and voluntarily surrender before the courts. Speaking to Reuters in a telephone interview, the 78-year-old leader said she is prepared to face arrest or any legal action despite the risks awaiting her upon return.
Hasina, who has been living in exile in India since leaving Bangladesh in 2024 following mass protests that ended her long tenure in power, said she wants to return to her homeland regardless of the consequences. “They may arrest me on my return, they may even kill me. Still, I have to go,” she said, adding that she wishes to die on the soil where her parents are buried and where they sacrificed their lives.
The Awami League chief was sentenced to death in absentia by Bangladesh’s war crimes tribunal in November over allegations related to the deadly crackdown on a student-led uprising. Hasina has strongly denied the charges, while her party remains banned in Bangladesh. Her proposed return is expected to have significant political and diplomatic implications, particularly as relations between Bangladesh and India remain strained following her exile.
