Exiled former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina vows December return despite death sentence

Sheikh Hasina has declared her intention to return to Bangladesh in December, even as she faces a death sentence handed down in absentia for her role in a 2024 crackdown on student-led protests. Speaking via audio message from India, where she has lived in exile since fleeing the country, Hasina said, "I will return to my people," adding that fear would not deter her duty. She did not appear on camera during the media event in New Delhi, unlike her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, who spoke earlier via video link. A Bangladeshi court convicted her in 2025 on charges of crimes against humanity, following unrest that led to nearly 1,400 deaths, according to United Nations reports. Hasina denies the charges, calling them politically motivated.

Bangladesh's government, led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, has barred media from publishing her statements and criticized India for allowing the press event, calling it an affront to national sovereignty. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition, which New Delhi says it is reviewing. On the same day Hasina spoke, Bangladesh inaugurated the July Mass Uprising Memorial Museum inside her former official residence in Dhaka, showcasing artifacts from the 2024 protests that ended her rule. Protesters in Dhaka burned an effigy of Hasina as she addressed supporters. Rahman, son of her political rival Khaleda Zia, assumed office after an election held in February under an interim government, during which Hasina's Awami League was excluded.

Hasina claimed the country's economy has deteriorated since her departure, citing slowed growth, declining investment, and over 20 million new jobless. She called for the release of political prisoners and the lifting of the ban on her party.

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