Hasina Vows December Return to Bangladesh Despite Death Sentence

Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stated on Wednesday that she plans to return from exile in India in December.

Hasina, who was forced from power by a mass uprising in 2024, remains in India after a special tribunal in Bangladesh sentenced her to death in 2025.

The tribunal ruled she ordered a deadly crackdown on protesters, leaving hundreds dead and thousands injured. A United Nations report later estimated the death toll at nearly 1,400 people.

Hasina denied wrongdoing and challenged the trial's legitimacy. She rejected the verdict but confirmed her decision to return to her home country has not changed.

"If death is my destiny, I would rather die on the soil of my own country, among my own people," Hasina said in an email response.

Bangladesh has repeatedly requested her extradition, but India has declined to hand her over. Hasina did not specify how she intends to cross the border. She acknowledged she could be arrested upon arrival.

"I know that I may be arrested when I return. I may be imprisoned, tortured or even killed," she wrote. "I am fully aware of those possibilities. But I cannot spend the rest of my life watching my people suffer from a distance."

Hasina served as prime minister from 2009 to 2024. Following her ouster, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus led an interim government for 18 months.

In February, Tarique Rahman won a landslide election to become the new prime minister. Rahman is the son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and a longtime rival of Hasina. Her Awami League party was barred from running in that election.

The Awami League remains banned. Hasina alleged that at least 20,000 party members have been killed since August 2024. She said thousands more have been arrested, tortured, or forced into hiding.

Hasina accused the current authorities of systematically suppressing her party. "There is no normal political or democratic environment," she said.

Rights groups, including Human Rights Watch, have criticized the Rahman government for assaults on civil and political rights. The government said the arrests involve specific charges and did not respond to a request for comment on Hasina's return plans.