Guwahati: Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said she plans to return from exile in India around December and surrender before authorities, despite facing a death sentence in Bangladesh and a ban on her Awami League party.
In an interview with Reuters, Hasina said she and senior Awami League leaders intend to return voluntarily and appear before the court. She said she was aware that she could face arrest or even death after returning.
During a phone interview with Reuters conducted on July 9 and July 10, Hasina said she was aware that returning to Bangladesh could lead to her arrest or even death.
Hasina said she wanted to return to her homeland, where her parents are buried, and stand with party leaders and workers who she claimed have faced repression since her government was removed from power.
She left Bangladesh in 2024 after a student-led protest movement ended her tenure as prime minister. In November, a war crimes tribunal sentenced her to death in absentia over allegations that she ordered a deadly crackdown on protesters. Hasina has rejected the charges.
The former prime minister said this was the first time she had publicly outlined a timeline for her return and confirmed that other exiled Awami League leaders would also surrender.
Former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, who also faces a death sentence, is among those mentioned. Reuters could not independently contact the other party leaders or confirm their locations.
Hasina said Bangladesh authorities had repeatedly sought her extradition from India but added that she would return on her own. She said she had not consulted any foreign government regarding her decision.
Bangladesh government representatives did not respond to Reuters requests for comment on Hasina’s remarks. India’s Ministry of External Affairs also did not respond to a request for comment.
In April, the ministry had said it was examining Bangladesh’s extradition request and wanted to continue engagement with the country’s interim government.
Hasina, who became one of Bangladesh’s most influential political figures over five decades, said she was prepared to face legal proceedings. She argued that the court process would allow her to challenge the allegations against her.
“I believe in justice and I feel that once proceedings start, it will be clear to the people how farcical the court is — and that I want to prove it,” she said.
Hasina’s government was toppled after widespread protests in 2024. A United Nations report said the crackdown during the unrest resulted in the deaths of as many as 1,400 people.
She said cases had been filed against several Awami League leaders and workers, with many forced into hiding. She added that she had been working to reorganise the party through online meetings covering 125 of Bangladesh’s 300 parliamentary constituencies.
Hasina questioned the decision to suspend the Awami League, saying voters should decide the party’s future through elections.
“If we have done badly, let the people decide,” she said.
The Awami League has faced arrests, legal cases and attacks against several of its members since Hasina’s removal, according to media reports and government officials.
Hasina said she was not concerned about imprisonment, pointing to previous periods when she was detained during her political career.
She returned from exile in 1981 after the assassination of her father, Bangladesh’s founding leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and was later detained during movements against military rule and again in 2007 under a military-backed caretaker government.
She said threats to her life forced her to leave Bangladesh in 2024 when protesters moved towards her residence.