Archive · 6 Aug 2026
Hasina Vows December Return to Bangladesh Despite Jail, Execution Threat
Sheikh Hasina used to be the leader of a country called Bangladesh.
In 2024, many people protested, and she had to leave quickly and move to India.
She now lives in New Delhi, a big city in India.
From there, she gave a talk and said she wants to go back to Bangladesh in December.
She knows that when she returns, she might be put in jail or even killed.
She says she still wants to go because she loves her people and wants to help them.
Courts in Bangladesh have said she must be punished for what happened during the protests.
Her political party, the Awami League, is not allowed to work anymore, and she wants that rule changed.
Bangladesh's leaders are angry that she spoke from India and want India to send her back.
Hasina says she will return no matter what.
In her first virtual media briefing from New Delhi since fleeing Bangladesh in August 2024, Sheikh Hasina vowed to return in December despite the risk of arrest, imprisonment or death.
She demanded that the ban on her Awami League party be lifted, political prisoners be released and 'false cases' against party members be dropped.
A special tribunal in Dhaka sentenced Hasina to death in absentia in November for alleged 'crimes against humanity' over the 2024 crackdown on student-led protests.
Bangladesh's foreign ministry said it was 'outraged' the briefing was allowed, called it 'an affront to the sovereignty of Bangladesh' and renewed its extradition request under the 2013 treaty.
Hasina alleged the 2024 protests were steered by 'organised groups' to seize power outside the ballot box; her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy said Bangladesh has become a 'failed state.'
- Who
- Sheikh Hasina, 78, former prime minister of Bangladesh, living in exile in New Delhi since August 2024.
- What
- Declared she will return to Bangladesh in December and demanded the Awami League ban be lifted; Bangladesh's government condemned the briefing and renewed its extradition demand.
- When
- Wednesday, August 5, during an audio-only virtual press conference; her planned return is in December.
- Where
- Foreign Correspondents' Club of South Asia in New Delhi, India; her intended destination is Bangladesh.
- Why
- She said she cannot stay away while the people of Bangladesh are suffering and wants to restore democracy and put Bangladesh 'on the right track.'
Hasina's View
Bangladesh Government's View
Return to Bangladesh
Hasina's View
Hasina vows to return in December to stand beside the people and put Bangladesh 'on the right track,' saying fear cannot decide her duty despite the risk of jail or death.
Bangladesh Government's View
Bangladesh is 'outraged,' calls her briefing 'an affront to the sovereignty of Bangladesh,' and has repeatedly asked India to extradite her to face the death sentence.
Legal Cases and Party Ban
Hasina's View
Hasina calls the cases 'politically motivated fabricated cases' and demands the Awami League ban be lifted, political prisoners released and false cases dropped.
Bangladesh Government's View
A Dhaka tribunal sentenced Hasina to death in absentia over the 2024 crackdown, and her party was barred from parliamentary elections won by the BNP.
Nature of the 2024 Protests
Hasina's View
Hasina alleges the protests were not a spontaneous student movement but were steered by 'organised groups' to create a path to power outside the ballot box.
Bangladesh Government's View
The events are described as a massive anti-government uprising that collapsed her government and led to a change in leadership.
- Former role
- Prime Minister of Bangladesh
- Age
- 78
- Current residence
- New Delhi, India, since fleeing Dhaka on August 5, 2024
- Planned return
- December — 'our victory month' (1971 liberation war)
- Legal status
- Death sentence in absentia for crimes against humanity; 10 years in prison in two corruption cases
- Party status
- Awami League banned in May 2025 under Bangladesh's anti-terrorism act
- Bangladesh government
- Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led under Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, who took office after the February elections from which the Awami League was barred
- Extradition demand
- Bangladesh urged India to return Hasina under the 2013 Extradition Treaty; India said it had no role in the briefing
Sources
Want to go back in December, our (1971) victory month: Sheikh Hasina
'They may kill me, put me in jail': Sheikh Hasina vows to return to Bangladesh in December
'May Get Jailed Or Killed': Sheikh Hasina Vows December Return To Bangladesh
Hasina vows December return to Bangladesh despite threat of imprisonment, execution