Hasina Says She Will Return to Bangladesh to Surrender

NEW DELHI-Ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said she plans to return to Bangladesh around December with senior leaders of her Awami League party to surrender before the courts, despite facing a death sentence handed down in her absence and repeated calls by Dhaka for her extradition from India.

In an interview with Reuters conducted by telephone late on Thursday and into Friday, Hasina said she and other exiled party leaders intended to return voluntarily, present themselves before the judiciary and challenge the legal proceedings against them.

“They may arrest me on my return, they may even kill me,” the 78-year-old said. “Still, I have to go.”

Hasina said she wanted to return because members of her party continued to face what she described as severe repression following the collapse of her government in 2024.

“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 said.

Hasina fled to India in 2024 after nationwide protests ended her two decades in power across multiple terms. Bangladesh’s war crimes tribunal sentenced her to death in absentia in November over allegations that she ordered a deadly crackdown on a student-led uprising. She has denied the charges.

Her planned return could deepen political tensions in Bangladesh, where authorities have sought to restore stability after two years of political upheaval. It also comes as relations between Bangladesh and India remain strained following New Delhi’s decision to grant Hasina refuge.

Bangladesh has repeatedly requested that India extradite the former prime minister. India’s foreign ministry has previously said it is examining the request while seeking to maintain constructive engagement with Bangladesh’s new government. Neither India’s foreign ministry nor Bangladesh’s government immediately commented on Hasina’s latest remarks.

Hasina said she had not discussed her return with any foreign government and had decided to return voluntarily.

“The authorities in Dhaka want to take me back, they are repeatedly sending letters to India seeking to have me sent back,” she said. “I will go myself.”

She said several senior Awami League leaders also intended to return and surrender. Among them is former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, who also faces a death sentence. Reuters could not independently confirm the plans of other party leaders or establish their current locations.

Hasina, the daughter of Bangladesh’s founding leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was long regarded as one of South Asia’s most influential political figures. She was credited with overseeing strong economic growth during her tenure but also faced persistent criticism from opponents and rights groups, who accused her government of suppressing dissent and weakening democratic institutions. She has consistently rejected those allegations.

A United Nations report said as many as 1,400 people were killed during the crackdown that preceded the fall of her government.

Hasina said she would not specify the exact date of her return or identify the court where she intended to surrender, but maintained that she wanted to expose what she described as an unfair judicial process.

“I believe in justice and I feel that once proceedings start, it will be clear to the people how farcical the court is,” she said.

She also defended the continued existence of the Awami League, saying the party should be judged by voters rather than banned by the authorities.

“They may have convicted me, and I may not be able to contest elections,” Hasina said. “But why should they suspend the Awami League? If we have done badly, let the people decide.”