Bangladesh’s Hasina plans December return with party colleagues to surrender

Ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced her intention to return from exile in India around December, aiming to surrender to court authorities. The former leader, who fled Bangladesh two years ago after protests ended her 20-year tenure, faces a death sentence for allegedly ordering a crackdown on a student uprising.

Hasina, 78, stated in a Reuters interview that she and senior Awami League colleagues plan to voluntarily present themselves in court. "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."

Her return could significantly impact Bangladesh's political landscape, potentially sharpening divisions in the garment-exporting nation as it seeks stability. It might also influence strained ties with India, which granted Hasina refuge. Bangladesh has repeatedly requested her extradition. This marks the first time Hasina has provided a timeline for her return and indicated that other exiled party leaders would also surrender.

Hasina, a dominant figure in Bangladesh for decades, was credited with economic turnaround but also faced accusations of crushing dissent during her long rule. Government spokespeople and India's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment on her remarks.

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They may arrest me on my return, they may even kill me. 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.