Sheikh Hasina plans Bangladesh return despite death sentence
What's next: Any return in December would likely trigger immediate arrest and could inflame already tense Bangladesh-India ties.
Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said she intends to return to Bangladesh in December, despite a death sentence issued in absentia over the 2024 crackdown on anti-government protests. Speaking by audio link at the Foreign Correspondents' Club in New Delhi on Wednesday, Hasina said she had to go back even if she faced prison or death. Hasina fled to India after a student-led uprising toppled her government in 2024. U.N. investigators found evidence her administration used systematic deadly violence, and the U.N. estimated up to 1,400 people were killed, most by security force gunfire. Bangladesh's government said it was outraged India allowed her public appearance as Dhaka seeks her extradition. Analysts said she would be arrested immediately if she returns.