‘I do not fear death’: Sheikh Hasina says she will return to Bangladesh ‘this year’

Former Bangladesh Prime Minister and Awami League leader, Sheikh Hasina, who was forced to flee her country following a student-led uprising against her government in 2024, has declared that “I’ll be back home this year.”

In an interview with a news channel, Hasina said her return to Bangladesh is not a question of personal aambition but it is tied to a far larger purpose- the political rights of the people of Bangladesh, the restoration of democract, the rule of law, and the spirit of the Liberation War.

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“I do not do politics for power. I do politics for the welfare of the people of Bangladesh and for the fulfilment of the dream of the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, to build a Sonar Bangla,” Hasina told NDTV.

She said that the death penalty awarded to her in Bangladesh is a result of an “illegal, unconstitutional, and politically motivated process.”

“The judiciary has been turned into an instrument of political revenge to make the Awami League leaderless. Such attempts have been made before. They failed then, and they will fail again. I do not fear death,” she said.

On the prospects of her party upon her likely return to Bangladesh, Hasina said that the Awami League is not a paper organisation but a political force rooted in the soil of Bengal, in the people of Bengal, in the history of Bengal, and in the identity of the Bengali nation.

“In its 77-year journey, the Awami League has been attacked many times, has shed blood many times, and has been banned many times. But each time, it has risen again through the strength of the people,” she remarked.

Hasina demanded the Tarique Rahman-led BNP government in Bangladesh to restore “proper democratic environment” in the country and withdraw the “illegal ban” on Awami League.

“To ensure a proper democratic environment and stability in Bangladesh, the illegal ban on the Awami League must be withdrawn. False cases must be withdrawn. Political prisoners must be released. Peaceful political activity must be allowed,” she added.