Sheikh Hasina Vows Return to Bangladesh Despite Death Risk

In her first public media interaction since fleeing to India two years ago, former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has declared her firm intention to return home this December. Speaking at an audio-only virtual press conference hosted by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club in New Delhi, the deposed leader insisted she is prepared to face imprisonment or execution to steer the nation back towards democratic stability and secular governance.

Addressing journalists who could hear only her voice, Sheikh Hasina dismissed the prospect of back-channel negotiations with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) administration currently in office. She framed her intended return as a mission of public duty rather than a bid for personal authority, stating that calculations regarding her own safety no longer govern her actions. Drawing parallels with her political history, she recalled losing her family during the 1975 assassination of her father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, alongside her subsequent six-year exile and long struggle against autocratic regimes.

The former prime minister called on international allies to support the Bangladeshi public in their pursuit of democratic rights and peace. She demanded an immediate end to the ban imposed on her party, the Awami League, alongside the release of political detainees and the withdrawal of alleged fabricated charges. Reflecting on the turbulent events of July and August 2024 that culminated in her departure, Sheikh Hasina contested the popular narrative surrounding the student-led demonstrations. She claimed that organised political entities had co-opted the initial unrest, using invisible instructions to force an unconstitutional transition of power outside the ballot box.

The former leader has remained in India since her departure on 5 August 2024. Last November, a special tribunal in Dhaka sentenced her to death in absentia for alleged crimes against humanity linked to the crackdowns during the 2024 uprisings. Supporting her stance during the media event, her son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, argued that state institutions had completely collapsed, leaving the nation in severe instability along India’s eastern border.

The press briefing has triggered a sharp diplomatic reaction from Dhaka. The Bangladesh Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed outrage that Indian authorities allowed the event on their soil, labelling the platform an affront to Bangladeshi sovereignty. Official statements from Dhaka emphasised that permitted political commentary by the exiled leader undermines bilateral relations, particularly as repeated formal requests for her extradition under the 2013 bilateral treaty have gone unanswered by New Delhi. The ministry reiterated that future diplomatic ties must rest on mutual respect, sovereign equality, and strict non-interference in domestic affairs.