Former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina has announced plans to return to Bangladesh from exile in India around December and surrender before the courts, despite facing a death sentence and warning that she could be killed upon her return.
Speaking in a telephone interview with Reuters, the 78-year-old former premier said she and senior leaders of her banned Awami League would voluntarily return to the country and submit themselves to the legal process.
"They may arrest me on my return, they may even kill me. Still, I have to go," Hasina said, adding that she wanted to die "on my own soil" if death was inevitable.
Hasina fled to India in 2024 after a student-led uprising ended her two-decade rule. In November 2025, Bangladesh's war crimes tribunal sentenced her to death in absentia over the deadly crackdown on anti-government protests, charges she has repeatedly denied.
She said she had not held any discussions with Bangladesh's interim government regarding her return and insisted there would be no "secret talks" over democracy or her party's future.
The former premier also called for the ban on the Awami League to be lifted, arguing that voters—not the authorities—should decide the party's political future.
"If we have done badly, let the people decide," she said.
Hasina revealed that she has been holding online meetings covering 125 of Bangladesh's 300 parliamentary constituencies to reorganise the Awami League while in exile.
Her planned return could deepen political tensions in Bangladesh, where the interim government has sought to restore stability following years of unrest. It could also affect relations between Bangladesh and India, which have been strained since New Delhi granted Hasina refuge.
Bangladesh has repeatedly requested Hasina's extradition from India, while New Delhi has previously said it is examining the request.
Hasina said she was prepared for imprisonment, noting that she had been jailed several times during previous political struggles and remained confident she could challenge the charges against her in court.
