Sheikh Hasina, the ousted prime minister of Bangladesh, has vowed to return to her homeland by December, even as she faces a death sentence from a Bangladeshi tribunal. Speaking from exile in India, she declared, "They may put me in a cell. They may kill me. Anything may happen, but still I have to go."
Defiant Pledge Amid Threat
In a news conference held at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of South Asia in Delhi on Wednesday, Hasina, 78, stated her intention to return in December, which Bangladesh observes as the "month of victory" commemorating the defeat of Pakistani forces in the 1971 war of independence. "Whatever fate awaits me, I will return to my people," she asserted, speaking via audio link.
Her son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, who also addressed the conference via video link, said his mother was being treated with the full services and security of a head of state in India. "Prime minister [Narendra] Modi's government has shown her the utmost respect, and for that I am eternally grateful," he noted.
Diplomatic Tensions and Legal Peril
India has officially distanced itself from the event, stating it had no role in organizing it and did not endorse the political views expressed. The country has been navigating a delicate diplomatic path, as Hasina was once a close regional ally. Bilateral ties have strained since her ouster, with India seeking to improve relations with Bangladesh while resisting extradition demands.
Hasina's flight ended over 15 years of increasingly authoritarian rule by the Awami League. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party, led by Tarique Rahman, son of the late former prime minister Khaleda Zia, won a landslide victory in an election earlier this year that barred the Awami League. The government has indicated that Hasina would likely be arrested upon her return.
Death Sentence and Uprising Aftermath
In November, Bangladesh's international crimes tribunal sentenced Hasina to death in absentia for crimes against humanity related to the violent suppression of protests. The demonstrations, initially over government-job quotas, escalated into a mass movement that toppled her government. The UN estimates up to 1,400 people may have died, though Hasina's supporters cite a toll of around 800. She has dismissed the verdict as politically motivated, insisting the threat of execution will not alter her plans.
Historical Rivalry and Current Demands
Hasina's rivalry with Zia, who died in 2025, was marked by mutual accusations of corruption and arrests, epitomized in the "Battle of the Begums." Bangladesh has banned domestic media from broadcasting her statements. She demands the lifting of the ban on the Awami League, the release of political prisoners, and the dropping of what she calls "false cases" against party activists.
Claiming Bangladesh is descending into lawlessness and economic ruin, Hasina accuses the new government of erasing the country's secular character. The government, meanwhile, struggles with high inflation and sluggish growth, attributing many problems to alleged corruption during her tenure.
