Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, says she is ready to return home despite the risk of arrest, imprisonment or even death, two years after she was removed from power and fled to India.
Speaking in New Delhi, Hasina said she could not remain away from her supporters as Bangladesh continues to press for her extradition. She said her return would be aimed at restoring democracy and promoting national reconciliation in the country.
“I may be put in jail, or they may kill me. Anything may happen. But still I have to go back”, Hasina said during the event.
The speech came on the same day Rahman opened a memorial museum at Hasina’s former official residence to honour the 2024 uprising.
Hasina rejected accounts of the uprising that ended her 15-year rule, arguing that it was not a popular movement but a coordinated attempt to remove her government. Her remarks have renewed hopes among members of her now-banned Awami League party, with some supporters saying they expect her eventual return to politics.
However, leaders of the uprising insist that any return must come with accountability. They argue that Hasina must face the country’s judicial process over allegations committed during her time in office.
The former leader’s comments come amid ongoing political tensions in Bangladesh, where she faces a death sentence handed down by the country’s International Crimes Tribunal over allegations linked to the deaths of more than 1,400 people during the 2024 uprising, a verdict she has rejected.
Bangladesh has repeatedly requested her extradition from India, but New Delhi, a long-time ally of Hasina, says the request is still under consideration.
