In a recent media interaction, ousted Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is living in exile in India, said she and other Awami League leaders want to return voluntarily to the country around December to surrender. The 78-year-old Bangladeshi ex-prime minister fled the country in 2024 after a major protest broke out.
In the telephonic interview, Sheikh Hatina said, “They may arrest me on my return, they may even kill me. Still, I have to go. My party is injured and workers are being subjected to tremendous oppression. If death comes, I want it to come on my own soil where my parents are buried and where their blood was shed.” She declined from revealing a specific date of her return or mention when she would surrender before the court.
Ending her 20 years of prime ministership in Bangladesh, Hasina in November 2024, fled the country as the country’s war crimes court sentenced her to death in absentia for ordering a deadly crackdown on a student-led uprising. She, however, denied the charges from exile.
A return to Bangladesh can deepen the political division in the country as Dhaka seeks to restore stability after two years of upheaval. It could also improve strained ties with India, which have worsened since New Delhi gave her refuge. Many Awami League workers have faced arrests, legal cases and physical attacks since her government was ousted, according to media reports and government officials. Hasina, who had previously responded only to written questions from news organizations during her exile, said she had not consulted any foreign government about her decision of returning to her country. This is her first public statement ever since she fled.
So far there has been no official comment by the Bangladesh government on Hasina’s remark. Neither did the Indian foreign ministry respond to requests for comments.