DHAKA, Bangladesh: Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, ousted in a mass uprising in 2024, has told The Associated Press that she remains committed to returning to Bangladesh from exile in India next month, despite being sentenced to death over her government’s deadly crackdown on protesters.
Hasina fled to India after student-led protests forced her from power and has remained there ever since.
In 2025, a Bangladeshi special tribunal sentenced her to death for crimes against humanity, ruling that she was responsible for ordering the crackdown, which left hundreds of people dead and thousands of others injured.
The United Nations has said in a report that nearly 1,400 people were killed. Hasina denies any wrongdoing. She also has rejected the tribunal's verdict and challenged the legitimacy of the trial.
Bangladesh has repeatedly sought Hasina’s extradition, but India has declined to hand her over. She had first announced in August her intention to return in December.
“If death is my destiny, I would rather die on the soil of my own country, among my own people,” she told The Associated Press in response to questions by email. “So, I will return to Bangladesh. That decision has not changed.”
Questions were submitted to her last week and she responded on Wednesday.
Hasina, who was prime minister from 2009-2024, didn't disclose how she plans to return from India. She could face arrest upon arrival in Bangladesh.
“I know that I may be arrested when I return. I may be imprisoned, tortured or even killed. I am fully aware of those possibilities. But I cannot spend the rest of my life watching my people suffer from a distance,” she told the AP.
Following Hasina’s ouster, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus took charge of an interim administration, leading the country for the next 18 months.
In February, Tarique Rahman, son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and a longtime political rival of Hasina, swept to power in a landslide election held under Yunus’ administration. Hasina’s Awami League party was barred from contesting the vote.
Hasina’s planned return comes as her party faces an uncertain future amid a sweeping crackdown. The party remains banned, with senior leaders arrested or driven into exile.
Hasina alleged that at least 20 party members have been killed since August 2024, while thousands have been arrested, tortured or forced into hiding. She said that supporters have also lost homes, businesses and livelihoods because of their political affiliations.
“There is no normal political or democratic environment,” she said, accusing the authorities of systematically suppressing the party.
Several rights groups, including Human Rights Watch, have criticized Rahman’s government for assaults on civil and political rights in recent months.
The government, however, says the arrests involve specific charges.
Asked whether she expected countries such as the United States and India to pressure Bangladesh to ensure her safe return, Hasina said she didn't seek foreign protection.
“I value friendship and cooperation with all nations. That has always been our (Bangladesh's) foreign policy. But I do not need the blessing of a foreign power to return to my own country,” she said.
Global rights groups and independent observers had earlier expressed their concern over the rise of radical groups that attempted to suppress liberal forces during the interim administration. Minority groups say they also faced intimidation.
The Yunus-led government has denied the allegations. The current government faces criticism for a deteriorating law and order situation in the country.
Hasina, who took a tough stance against radical groups during her 15 years in power, said that she was concerned about the growing influence of hard-liners in Bangladesh.
“The present political environment has allowed extremist elements to become more confident,” she said.
The Press Wing of the prime minister’s office didn't respond to an AP request for comment.
