Her decision to return to Bangladesh from exile in India by December remains unchanged despite the possibility of arrest or death, Hasina said on Thursday.
Former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina has said she does not need the backing of any foreign country to return home.
“I value friendship and cooperation with all nations. That has always been our (Bangladesh’s) foreign policy. Hasina has denied wrongdoing, rejected the verdict and questioned the legitimacy of the trial. “Now I have decided. Yes, I know. In the HT interview, Hasina also accused the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)-led government of continuing the persecution of Awami League leaders and workers, alleging that party members were being killed, arrested and targeted through criminal cases. “Why did they ban the Awami League?
Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal sentenced Hasina to death in absentia in November 2025 for crimes against humanity over the deadly crackdown on student-led protests in July-August 2024. Nearly 1,400 people were killed during the violence, according to the United Nations.
But I do not need the blessing of a foreign power to return to my own country,” Hasina told news agency AP in an email interview. If I go back, the moment I will land they can kill me, or they can arrest me and torture me,” she said. “My decision to return is my own, and it is a matter of political discussion within my party,” she said, adding that the timing of the return of other Awami League leaders living abroad would depend on consultations within the party and an assessment of the security situation. Questioning the ban on the Awami League, Hasina said the party should be allowed to contest elections and let voters decide its political future. If the Awami League has done a lot of bad things, let the people decide,” she said.
Earlier this year in a virtual press conference from Delhi, Hasina acknowledged the risks involved in returning, saying she could be killed, arrested or tortured as soon as she landed in Bangladesh.
Asked whether she expected countries such as the United States and India to put pressure on Bangladesh to ensure her safe return, the ousted leader said she was not seeking foreign protection.
