Hasina vows to return to Bangladesh despite death sentence

Sheikh Hasina says she intends to return to Bangladesh from exile in India in December, despite the risk of arrest and a death sentence imposed over her government’s response to 2024 protests. The former prime minister fled after student-led demonstrations forced her from power and has remained in India since.

A special tribunal sentenced Hasina to death in 2025 for crimes against humanity, ruling that she ordered the crackdown. The United Nations has said nearly 1,400 people were killed. Hasina denies wrongdoing, rejects the verdict and disputes the trial’s legitimacy. Bangladesh has repeatedly sought her extradition, but India has not handed her over.

Hasina said she knows she could be imprisoned, tortured or killed if she returns, but does not want to remain abroad while her supporters suffer. She did not explain how she would make the journey. She has also alleged that members of her Awami League party have been killed, arrested or forced into hiding, and that supporters have lost homes and businesses. The party remains banned and was barred from February’s election.

Tarique Rahman, a longtime political rival, won that vote in a landslide after leading an interim administration headed by Muhammad Yunus. Civil liberties organizations, among them Human Rights Watch, have raised concerns about Rahman’s government’s approach to civil and political rights. The government says arrests involve specific charges.

Hasina also warned that hard-line groups were gaining influence. Minority groups have said they faced intimidation, while the Yunus-led administration denied allegations of rising extremist influence. Bangladesh’s prime minister’s office did not respond to a request for comment on Hasina’s remarks.

Bangladesh’s banned opposition faces a returning leader and a death sentence

Sheikh Hasina’s planned return puts Bangladesh’s political repression and the fate of its banned opposition in sharp focus. The former prime minister says she will come back in December, even though a tribunal sentenced her to death over the 2024 crackdown on protesters and she could be arrested on arrival.

Hasina fled after student-led protests ousted her. The tribunal convicted her of crimes against humanity, but she denies wrongdoing and challenges the trial’s legitimacy. Bangladesh has repeatedly sought her extradition; India has not handed her over.

Her Awami League was barred from February’s election and remains banned. Hasina alleges party members have been killed, arrested, driven into exile or forced into hiding, while supporters have lost homes and livelihoods. Rights organizations, among them Human Rights Watch, have criticized Tarique Rahman’s administration over civil and political rights. The government says arrests concern specific charges.

Hasina’s allegations demand scrutiny, not dismissal. She says she is prepared to face prison or worse rather than watch supporters suffer from abroad. Meanwhile, minority groups have reported intimidation and the Yunus-led interim administration denied claims of rising extremist influence. The authorities’ response to her return will test whether Bangladesh can protect political participation and basic rights.

Hasina’s return vow raises stakes after Bangladesh’s deadly crackdown

Sheikh Hasina says she will return to Bangladesh despite facing a death sentence for her government’s deadly crackdown on protesters. Her vow puts the consequences of the 2024 uprising—and the country’s unresolved political divisions—back in view.

A special tribunal found that Hasina ordered the crackdown and imposed capital punishment on her for crimes against humanity. The United Nations has said nearly 1,400 people died. Hasina denies wrongdoing and rejects the trial’s legitimacy, but says she understands that she could be arrested, imprisoned, tortured or killed if she returns. She has not said how she will get back from India, which has declined Bangladesh’s repeated extradition requests.

Hasina’s Awami League remains banned and could not contest February’s election, which Tarique Rahman won in a landslide. Hasina alleges party members have been killed or arrested and supporters have lost homes and businesses. Her claims sit alongside criticism of Rahman’s government by rights groups over civil and political rights; the government says arrests involve specific charges.

The Yunus-led interim administration denied allegations of growing extremist influence, while minority groups said they faced intimidation. Hasina now warns that hard-liners are gaining confidence. Her return would force the authorities to confront both the tribunal’s judgment and the political challenge posed by a former leader who says she will not stay in exile.