Ousted former prime minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina, who has lived in exile in India since 2024, told Agence France-Presse she intends to return to her country by December despite believing it could cost her freedom or her life.
What Hasina told AFP:
The 78-year-old former leader, replying to questions by email, was blunt about the risks she believes she faces.
‘I May Be Arrested, I May Be Killed’
She added that even though she knows fully well what could happen to her, she still wants to go back because she feels called back by her people. Hasina has also said no one is forcing her to make the trip, presenting the decision as hers alone.
The Legal Cloud Looming Over Her
Hasina’s possible return is made complicated by a string of legal cases brought against her since her removal from power. In November a Dhaka court convicted her of crimes against humanity and sentenced her to death, a ruling she has called political and not a proper legal judgment. She has also been convicted in absentia in separate corruption cases related to allocation of plots in an upscale part of Dhaka.
Important people in the wake of her fall are:
Bangladesh has confiscated assets worth around 760 billion taka ($6.2 billion) linked to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her family and ten business groups
According to United Nations estimates, her government’s attempts to hold onto power in mid-2024 led to the killing of up to 1,400 people in crackdowns.
She has been living in an undisclosed location in India since fleeing by helicopter as protesters stormed her official residence.
From Mass Uprising to Exile
A student-led uprising against Hasina in August 2024 snowballed into a mass movement that ended her 15-year rule. She has since remained in India, a country with which Bangladesh’s ties grew strained under the interim administration that ruled after she left. Ties between the two nations have reportedly stabilised more recently under Bangladesh’s present leadership.
Discover More Stories Worth Your Time
See How Microplastics Spread?
Discover why Bangladesh’s rivers, salt pans, and fish markets are raising concern.
Find Why Wetlands Face Threat?
Explore how invasive turtles are disrupting biodiversity in Dhaka’s waterways.
Learn Why Army Took Custody?
Discover the latest developments in the Brig Gen Miftah Uddin tribunal case.
Explore What Follows Shahabuddin’s Exit?
Discover how Bangladesh’s leadership could change after the president’s departure.
Check Why Assault Case Filed?
Explore the allegations involving actress Snigdha Chowdhury and the Ashiyan chairman.
A High-Risk Bet
Hasina’s declaration that she will return by December sets up a politically charged test for Bangladesh’s government, which would face the question of whether to actually carry out an arrest and execution order against a former head of state who ruled the country for more than a decade. Her comments to AFP indicate she knows precisely what she may be walking into, and the prospect of her return is not so much a political calculation as it is a personal reckoning with her legacy and her ties to the country she once led. The question in the coming months will be whether she follows through and how authorities in Dhaka respond if she does.
Summary: In a rare interview with Agence France-Presse, exiled former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina says she is determined to return home by December despite fearing arrest or death. The comments come as she faces multiple convictions and a death sentence from Dhaka courts.
