NEW DELHI: Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday reiterated her commitment to return to Dhaka in December despite a death sentence awaiting her return from India.“If death is my destiny, I would rather die on the soil of my own country, among my own people,” she told The Associated Press in response to questions by email.“So, I will return to Bangladesh. That decision has not changed,” Hasina said.The former leader has served as Prime Minister of Bangladesh for one term from 1996 to 2001 and four consecutive terms from 2009 to 2024.In 2024, Hasina sought asylum in New Delhi after a mass student-led uprising overthrew her government. In 2025, a Bangladeshi special tribunal ordered her death sentence for crimes against humanity. She was tried for ordering a crackdown that killed hundreds of protesters and left thousands injured. According to the United Nations data, cited by AP, nearly 1,400 were killed during the unrest.The former PM has denied wrongdoing, rejected the tribunal’s verdict and questioned the legitimacy of the trial.Bangladesh has repeatedly asked India to extradite her. However, New Delhi said the request was being legally examined.“Nobody can give you a timeframe (over Hasina’s return),” India’s high commissioner to Dhaka Dinesh Trivedi remarked during an October discussion organised by a Dhaka-based think tank. reported.“Again and again, the government of India has replied to this that there is a process, and the process is legal, and it is well structured,” Trivedi added.On Wednesday, Hasina told the AP that she was aware of the risks she could face on returning, but had no intention of changing her decision.“I know that I may be arrested when I return. I may be imprisoned, tortured or even killed. I am fully aware of those possibilities. But I cannot spend the rest of my life watching my people suffer from a distance,” she told the news agency.Hasina did not specify how she intended to travel back to Bangladesh from India.
Hasina alleges crackdown on Awami League members
Her proposed return comes as her Awami League party faces an uncertain political future. The party remains banned, while several of its senior leaders have been arrested or forced into exile.Hasina alleged that at least 20,000 party members had been killed since August 2024. She also claimed that thousands had been arrested, tortured or driven into hiding, while supporters had lost their homes, businesses and livelihoods because of their political affiliations.“There is no normal political or democratic environment,” she said, accusing the authorities of systematically targeting the party.Following Hasina’s removal from office, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus headed an interim administration for 18 months. In February, Tarique Rahman, son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and a longstanding political rival of Hasina, won a landslide victory in an election held under the interim government. The Awami League was barred from contesting the polls.Several rights organisations, including Human Rights Watch, have criticised Rahman’s government over alleged violations of civil and political rights in recent months. The government has maintained that arrests have been made in connection with specific charges.
Hasina raises concern over influence of extremist groups
Hasina also expressed concern over the growing influence of hard-line groups in Bangladesh, saying the political climate had allowed extremist elements to gain confidence.
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“The present political environment has allowed extremist elements to become more confident,” she said.Global rights groups and independent observers had earlier raised concerns about radical groups seeking to suppress liberal forces during the Yunus-led interim administration. Minority communities have also reported facing intimidation.The interim government denied the allegations. The current administration has continued to face criticism over the deteriorating law and order situation in the country.Hasina, who took a tough stance against radical groups during her 15 years in power, said she was worried about their growing influence.Asked whether she expected countries such as the United States and India to press Bangladesh to ensure her safe return, Hasina said she was not seeking protection from foreign governments.“I value friendship and cooperation with all nations. That has always been our (Bangladesh’s) foreign policy. But I do not need the blessing of a foreign power to return to my own country,” she said.
