Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has declared her intention to return to Bangladesh voluntarily around December.
Key Points
- Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina plans to return to Bangladesh voluntarily around December, despite facing a death sentence.
- Hasina, exiled in India, intends to surrender to judicial courts upon her return, acknowledging the risk of arrest or death.
- Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal sentenced Hasina to death for crimes against humanity related to the 2024 student-led demonstrations.
- The tribunal also sentenced former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal to death and former Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun to five years in prison.
- Hasina expressed a desire to face consequences on her home soil, where her parents are buried, amidst repression against her party workers.
Bangladesh's former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has announced that she, alongside other exiled leaders of the Awami League, intends to return to Bangladesh voluntarily around December, despite facing the stark prospect of arrest or death upon her arrival.
Hasina's Resolve to Return
In an interview with Reuters, the 78-year-old leader, who moved to India following a student-led uprising that unseated her administration in August 2024, stated that she plans to surrender before the judicial courts upon her return.
She further clarified that there has been no communication with the current authorities in Dhaka concerning the scheduled homecoming.
"They may arrest me on my return, they may even kill me," Sheikh Hasina told the news agency. "Still, I have to go."
Expressing deep concern over the ongoing situation of her political supporters back home, the former Prime Minister emphasised her resolve to face the consequences on her home soil.
"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.
Tribunal's Verdict and Charges
The high-stakes announcement follows a ruling by Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal, which sentenced her to death after convicting her of crimes against humanity.
The charges were tied to the state crackdown on the 2024 student-led demonstrations that ultimately led to the fall of the Awami League government, with the tribunal holding her accountable for ordering or failing to stop the fatalities of demonstrators during the political unrest.
In the same verdict, the tribunal handed a death sentence to former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and a five-year prison sentence to former Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun.
The judicial body additionally directed the state to confiscate the properties of both Sheikh Hasina and Kamal.
