Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said she intends to return to her country around December despite facing a death sentence and the possibility of being arrested or even killed upon arrival.
The announcement comes months after the Awami League leader left Bangladesh following the student-led uprising in August 2024 that toppled her government. Speaking to Reuters, the 78-year-old said she would voluntarily return and surrender before the country’s judicial courts.
Sheikh Hasina says she is prepared to face the consequences
Hasina said she has had no discussions with the authorities in Dhaka regarding her proposed return.
“They may arrest me on my return, they may even kill me,” Sheikh Hasina told Reuters. “Still, I have to go.”
She said her decision was driven by concern for Awami League leaders and workers who, according to her, continue to face severe repression.
“My party leaders and workers are being subjected to tremendous repression. If death comes, I want it to come on my own soil, where my parents are buried and where their blood was shed,” she added.
Tribunal sentences Hasina to death
Hasina’s statement follows a verdict by Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal, which sentenced her to death after convicting her of crimes against humanity.
According to the ruling, the charges relate to the government’s response to the 2024 student-led protests that culminated in the fall of the Awami League administration. The tribunal held her responsible for ordering, or failing to prevent, the deaths of protesters during the unrest.
The same judgment also awarded the death penalty to former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal.
Former Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun was sentenced to five years in prison.
The tribunal also ordered the confiscation of the properties belonging to Sheikh Hasina and Kamal.
(With inputs from ANI)