Sheikh Hasina Says She Will Return to Bangladesh Next Month Despite Death Sentence

Bangladesh's ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina has said she still intends to return home from exile in India next month, despite a tribunal verdict sentencing her to death over her government's handling of mass protests in 2024, according to an interview with The Associated Press.

Hasina was removed from power in July 2024 after weeks of student-led demonstrations escalated into nationwide unrest. She left the country for India as the protests peaked and has stayed there since. A special tribunal in Bangladesh subsequently sentenced her to death on charges of crimes against humanity, finding that she ordered the crackdown on protesters. The United Nations has estimated that nearly 1,400 people were killed during the unrest, although Hasina denies any wrongdoing and has challenged both the verdict and the legitimacy of the court proceedings.

In responses to questions submitted by email and returned on Wednesday, Hasina said her determination to return had not changed. "If death is my destiny, I would rather die on the soil of my own country, among my own people," she was quoted as saying. She added that she understood she could be arrested, imprisoned or worse upon arrival, but said she could not spend the rest of her life watching her people suffer from a distance. She did not explain how she would attempt to travel back to Bangladesh.

The remarks come after Hasina first announced in August that she planned to return in December. Bangladesh has repeatedly asked India to extradite her, but New Delhi has so far declined to hand her over. Hasina served as prime minister from 2009 to 2024, a period that saw Bangladesh post strong economic growth while drawing international scrutiny over the treatment of political opponents and the media.

Following her departure, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus took charge of an interim administration that governed the country for roughly 18 months. Bangladesh is expected to hold national elections in the coming months, and Hasina's planned return — and any legal action against her — could become a significant factor in the political climate.

Her case continues to draw attention from international observers monitoring Bangladesh's transition, with the upcoming election and the question of accountability for the 2024 crackdown both likely to shape the country's relations with India and its Western partners.