Sheikh Hasina plans December return to Bangladesh with party colleagues to surrender
The South Asian nation’s longest-serving leader said he and Awami League members aim to voluntarily return to the country they fled two years ago and present themselves in court to test Bangladesh’s handling of its most prominent political rival.
“When I return, they may arrest me or even kill me,” Hasina, 78, said in a nearly hour-long phone conversation late Thursday and into Friday.
“I still have to go,” he said. “My party leaders and workers are subjected to great pressure. If death comes, I want it to come to my own land, where my parents were buried and their blood was shed.”
Also read: Sheikh Hasina says she will return to Bangladesh this year, criticizes current government
BANGLADESH-INDIA TIES ARE STRAINED BY EXILE
After 20 years as prime minister with multiple terms, Hasina fled Bangladesh in 2024 after the protests ended. The country’s war crimes court sentenced him to death in his absence in November for ordering a deadly crackdown on a student-led uprising. He denied the accusations from exile.
The reversal could sharpen political divisions in the garment export powerhouse as the government in Dhaka tries to restore stability after two years of upheaval. On the other hand, it could also improve strained ties with India, which deteriorated sharply after New Delhi granted him asylum. Bangladesh has repeatedly called on India to extradite him.
Hasina, who has taken written questions from news organizations but has not given previous interviews during her exile, said she had not consulted any foreign governments about whether or when she would return.
For the first time, he set a timetable for his return, saying he planned to surrender or other exiled Awami League leaders would do so. Among them, former Interior Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal is also facing the death penalty. Reuters was unable to contact members of the other side or determine their whereabouts.
Authorities in Dhaka “want to take me back, they have sent letters to India many times, asking me to be sent back,” he said. “I’ll go myself.”
Bangladesh government spokespeople did not respond to requests for comment on Hasina’s remarks.
India’s foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment. In April, the ministry said it was reviewing Bangladesh’s request to extradite him and wanted to “engage constructively with the new government and further strengthen bilateral ties.”
A ONE-TIME CHAMPION OF DEMOCRACY WAS ACCUSED OF CRUSHING THE OPPOSITION
Hasina was a dominant figure in Bangladesh for half a century after she was thrust into the spotlight when her father, the independence leader, and most of his family were killed in a military coup.
He initially fought for democracy and is credited with turning around the economy of the Muslim-majority country of 170 million people, but his long reign has led to accusations that his government has crushed opposition and eliminated democratic checks and balances, allegations he denies.
The crackdown that led to his downfall killed as many as 1,400 people, according to a UN report.
“Cases have been filed against almost all our leaders and workers, and most of them are in hiding,” Hasina told Reuters from her exile home in Delhi. he said. “I said that this time I would return home and that one day you should all come. We will all surrender in court together.”
He refused to give a date for his return or to say exactly when or to which court he would surrender.
“I believe in justice and when the hearings start people will realize how ridiculous the trial is and I think I want to prove that.”
‘LET THE PEOPLE DECIDE’ HE SAID TO HASINA
According to media reports and government officials, many workers of the Awami League have faced arrest, legal cases and physical attacks since the ouster of their government.
Hasina said she was not in touch with Dhaka regarding her return plans. “Democracy, voting rights, political rights of the Awami League and justice are not the subject of secret talks.”
She said she was not worried about jail time, noting that she had been arrested several times before.
After returning from exile in 1981 following the murder of his father, he was detained repeatedly during campaigns against military rule. He was jailed again in 2007 on corruption charges by the military-backed interim government, before being released and winning elections in 2008.
This time, he said, it was the threats against his life that caused him to flee as the crowds advanced towards his home.
“When a government runs for a long time, mistakes can happen; no government is above making mistakes,” he said. “But the right to judge whether a government is good or bad, right or wrong, belongs to the nation. I leave this to the discretion of the nation.”
Hasina said she was holding online meetings covering 125 of Bangladesh’s 300 parliamentary constituencies as part of her efforts to reform the Awami League.
“They might have convicted me and I might not be able to participate in the elections,” he said. “But why should they suspend the Awami League? If we have done a bad job, let the people decide.”
