Ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is facing a death sentence back home and whose party has been banned, has announced plans to return from exile in India around December and surrender to the courts. In an exclusive interview with Reuters, the 78-year-old former leader said she and senior members of her Awami League party intend to voluntarily return to Bangladesh, which they fled two years ago, and present themselves before the judiciary. This move is expected to test how Bangladesh handles its most prominent political opponent.
Hasina's Determination Amidst Threats
“They may arrest me on my return, they may even kill me,” Hasina said in the nearly hour-long telephone interview late Thursday and into Friday. “Still, I have to go,” she asserted. “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.”
Hasina revealed that the authorities in Dhaka have been seeking her extradition from India. “They want to take me back, they are repeatedly sending letters to India seeking to have me sent back,” she said. “I will go myself.”
Legal Challenges and Party Repression
According to Hasina, “Cases have been filed against almost all of our leaders and workers, and many of them are in hiding.” She stated from her exile home in Delhi, “So I said that this time I am returning home, and one day, all of you should come. All together, we will all surrender in court.” She declined to provide a specific date for her return or details on when and where she would surrender.
“I believe in justice and I feel that once proceedings start, it will be clear to the people how farcical the court is – and that I want to prove it,” Hasina added.
No Communication with Dhaka
Hasina emphasized that she has not been in touch with the government in Dhaka regarding her plans. “Democracy, voting rights, the political rights of the Awami League and justice are not subjects for secret talks,” she said. She expressed no fear of imprisonment, noting that she has been arrested multiple times in the past. The immediate trigger for her flight, she explained, was threats to her life as crowds advanced towards her residence.
