Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina reiterated on Monday that she intends to return to Bangladesh in December, despite the possibility of being arrested, tortured or killed.
“I will go back to Bangladesh in December,” she said in response to a question from India Today during a virtual appearance at an event organised by the Center for US-Bangladesh Relations in Washington, DC.
“I am not afraid. I know they can kill me, arrest me and torture me,” Hasina said.
She added that she had experienced arrest and torture in the past but remained determined to return. “It’s my responsibility to go,” she said.
The Awami League leader has been living in India since a student-led uprising forced her out of office on August 5, 2024.
Hasina first announced her intention to return in December during interviews in July and reiterated the plan on the second anniversary of her ouster.
HASINA THANKS TRUMP, CRITICISES BANGLADESH GOVERNMENT
Hasina also expressed gratitude to US President Donald Trump for halting USAID funding, claiming the decision would prevent funds from reaching the wrong people.
“Thanks to him, funds are not getting into the wrong hands,” she said.
She accused the government led by Tarique Rahman of corruption, high unemployment, mistreatment of women and widespread extortion.
“It is a corrupt government,” Hasina said, demanding free and fair elections in Bangladesh.
‘FEAR CANNOT DETERMINE MY DUTY’
Hasina had expressed similar determination to return during an audio address to international media in Delhi on the second anniversary of her removal from office.
“Whatever fate awaits me, I will return to my people. I cannot stay away while my beloved countrymen are suffering,” she said at the time.
While acknowledging the possibility of detention or imprisonment, she maintained that “fear cannot decide my duty to the people”. She added that the precise date of her return would be announced when appropriate.
Hasina said her return and the Awami League’s participation in the democratic process were not intended to secure political power but to restore development, secularism and stability.
In separate interviews with Reuters and AFP in July, she also acknowledged the risks involved in returning to Bangladesh.
She told Reuters that she and senior Awami League colleagues intended to return around December and surrender before the courts.
“They may arrest me on my return, they may even kill me,” she said.
“Still, I have to go. 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 added.
In her interview with AFP, Hasina said Indian authorities had not discussed extradition with her and stressed that returning to Bangladesh was her own decision.
DEATH SENTENCE AND EXTRADITION REQUEST
Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal sentenced Hasina to death in absentia in November 2025 after finding her guilty of crimes against humanity in connection with the crackdown on student-led protests in 2024.
Hasina has denied the allegations and characterised the proceedings as politically motivated.
Dhaka has requested her extradition under both the former interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus and the government headed by Tarique Rahman.
New Delhi has said the request is being considered through judicial and internal legal procedures.
