Former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina this week said she remains determined to return to the country from exile in India in December, despite the possibility of arrest, imprisonment, torture or even
death. Hasina, who was ousted in a mass uprising in August 2024 and later sentenced to death over the crackdown on protesters, said her decision to return had not changed.
“If death is my destiny, I would rather die on the soil of my own country, among my own people,” Hasina told The Associated Press in an email interview. “So, I will return to Bangladesh. That decision has not changed.”
The former prime minister also made it clear that she was not seeking diplomatic intervention from India or any other country to facilitate her return.
“I value friendship and cooperation with all nations. That has always been our (Bangladesh’s) foreign policy. But I do not need the blessing of a foreign power to return to my own country,” she told AP when asked whether she expected countries such as the United States and India to pressure Dhaka to ensure her safe return.
Hasina, who served as prime minister from 2009 to 2024, did not disclose how she planned to travel back from India. She acknowledged that she could be arrested as soon as she arrived.
“I know that I may be arrested when I return. I may be imprisoned, tortured or even killed. I am fully aware of those possibilities. But I cannot spend the rest of my life watching my people suffer from a distance,” she said.
Questions were sent to Hasina last week, and she responded on Wednesday, according to AP.
HASINA’S DEATH SENTENCE, BAN ON AWAMI LEAGUE
Hasina fled Bangladesh in August 2024 after student-led protests forced her out of power. She has remained in India since then.
In November 2025, Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal sentenced her to death in absentia for crimes against humanity over the deadly crackdown on protesters. The United Nations has said nearly 1,400 people were killed during the violence. Hasina has denied wrongdoing, rejected the verdict and challenged the legitimacy of the trial.
Bangladesh has repeatedly sought her extradition, but India has declined to hand her over. Hasina had first announced in August that she intended to return in December.
Her proposed return comes as the Awami League faces an uncertain political future. The party remains banned, with several senior leaders arrested or driven into exile, and was barred from contesting the February election.
Following Hasina’s ouster, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus headed an interim administration for 18 months. In February, Tarique Rahman, son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia and a longtime political rival of Hasina, swept to power in a landslide election held under the Yunus-led administration.
Hasina alleged that the crackdown on her party’s supporters had continued since she left office. She claimed that at least 20,000 Awami League members had been killed since August 2024, while thousands more had been arrested, tortured or forced into hiding. She also alleged that supporters had lost their homes, businesses and livelihoods because of their political affiliations.
“There is no normal political or democratic environment,” she told AP, accusing the authorities of systematically suppressing the Awami League.
The government has maintained that the arrests involve specific charges. Several rights groups, including Human Rights Watch, have criticised Rahman’s government over alleged assaults on civil and political rights in recent months.
HASINA FLAGS GROWING INFLUENCE OF HARD-LINE GROUPS
Hasina also expressed concern over what she described as the growing influence of extremist groups in Bangladesh.
Global rights groups and independent observers had earlier raised concerns about radical groups attempting to suppress liberal forces during the interim administration. Minority groups have also reported intimidation, allegations that the Yunus-led government denied.
“The present political environment has allowed extremist elements to become more confident,” Hasina told AP.
The former prime minister had taken a tough stance against radical groups during her 15 years in power. Her remarks come amid continuing concerns over law and order and the political climate in Bangladesh.
