New Delhi:
In an interview with Reuters, Hasina, 78, said she was prepared to face the consequences of returning to Bangladesh, where her party remains banned and several of its leaders face criminal cases.
“They may arrest me on my return, they may even kill me. Still, I have to go,” she said, adding that she wanted to stand with party workers who, she claimed, were facing severe repression.
Hasina fled Bangladesh in 2024 after mass protests ended her two-decade rule across multiple terms. In November, the country’s war crimes tribunal sentenced her to death in absentia over allegations that she ordered a deadly crackdown on the student-led uprising that toppled her government. She has denied the charges.
Her return could deepen political tensions in Bangladesh, which has struggled to restore stability after two years of upheaval. It could also ease strains in ties with India, which deteriorated after New Delhi granted her refuge despite repeated extradition requests from Dhaka.
Hasina said she had not consulted any foreign government about her planned return and had not contacted the authorities in Dhaka.
“They want to take me back and are repeatedly sending letters to India. I will go myself,” she said.
Former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, who also faces a death sentence, is among the senior Awami League leaders expected to return, according to Hasina.
She declined to give an exact date or specify the court before which she would surrender, but said she wanted to challenge the proceedings against her.
“I believe in justice, and once the proceedings begin, people will see how farcical the court is,” she said.
Hasina said cases had been filed against large numbers of Awami League leaders and workers, forcing many into hiding. She said she had urged exiled party members to return together and surrender before the courts.
The former prime minister also defended the Awami League’s right to participate in politics, arguing that voters, rather than the authorities, should decide its future.
“They may have convicted me, and I may not be able to contest elections. But why should they suspend the Awami League? If we have done badly, let the people decide,” she said.
Hasina acknowledged that mistakes could occur during a long period in government, but maintained that only the electorate had the right to judge her administration.
She said she had continued to reorganise the Awami League from exile, holding online meetings covering 125 of Bangladesh’s 300 parliamentary constituencies.
