Ex-leader Hasina gambles on return to Bangladesh despite death penalty

What the report says

Former Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina has said she plans to return to Bangladesh in December, even though she faces a death sentence after being convicted of crimes against humanity over a crackdown on a 2024 anti-government uprising, according to BBC World News. The 78-year-old made the comments in an audio appearance to journalists in Delhi, where she has been living since fleeing Dhaka during the unrest.

BBC World News reported that Hasina, who denies the charges and says they are politically motivated, told reporters she felt she had to go back but would not give a precise date. Her remarks came two years after she was driven from office following mass protests that began as a student movement and escalated into a wider revolt. The broadcaster said an international tribunal in Dhaka sentenced her to death last year after finding her responsible for ordering lethal force against demonstrators.

The report said the case has deepened tensions between Bangladesh and India, which Bangladesh wants to extradite her. It also noted that her Awami League has been weakened and was barred from the February general election, while the current government in Dhaka has condemned India for allowing her public media appearance. Analysts quoted by BBC World News said any return would likely lead to her immediate arrest and could trigger renewed political unrest.

The broader significance is that Hasina’s possible return could shape Bangladesh’s fragile post-uprising politics, including the future of her party and the country’s relationship with India.