3 weeks ago
Sheikh Hasina Vows December Return to Bangladesh Despite Death Sentence
Sheikh Hasina used to be the leader of a country called Bangladesh.
After big student protests in 2024, she had to leave and has been living in India.
She has now said she will go back to Bangladesh in December.
She knows she might be put in jail or even killed, but she says fear cannot decide her duty to her people.
She says her return is not about power, but about helping Bangladesh grow, stay peaceful, and stay secular.
Hasina says the protests began as a peaceful student movement, but organized groups used false stories to turn it into a demand for her to leave.
She says violence like fires, attacks and stealing began on July 15, and even Bangladesh Television was set on fire.
She thinks the new leaders of Bangladesh, led by Muhammad Yunus, are not legal.
She is asking other countries to stand with the people of Bangladesh for democracy and justice.
Sheikh Hasina declared she will return to Bangladesh in December, saying 'fear cannot decide my duty to the people.'
The 78-year-old former PM announced the return at her first media interaction in New Delhi since fleeing Bangladesh on August 5, 2024.
Hasina was sentenced to death in absentia last November by a Dhaka special tribunal for alleged 'crimes against humanity' over the 2024 crackdown.
She alleged the student-led quota reform movement was deliberately turned into a resignation campaign through coordinated 'false propaganda,' with killings, arson, attacks and looting starting from July 15.
She called Muhammad Yunus's interim government 'illegal' and urged the international community to back Bangladesh's 'struggle for democracy and justice.'
- Who
- Sheikh Hasina, 78, former prime minister of Bangladesh, who fled to India after being ousted in 2024 following student-led protests.
- What
- Hasina announced she will return to Bangladesh in December to 'restore democracy and justice,' despite risking arrest or a death sentence.
- Where
- Announced at a virtual press conference in New Delhi, India; the planned return is to Bangladesh.
- When
- December this year; announced at her first media interaction in New Delhi on Wednesday since fleeing Dhaka on August 5, 2024.
- Why
- Hasina said 'fear cannot decide my duty to the people' and that her return is about putting Bangladesh 'back on track of development, secularism and prosperity,' not about power.
Sheikh Hasina's account
Bangladesh interim government and judiciary's account
Nature of the 2024 protests
Sheikh Hasina's account
Hasina says a peaceful student-led quota reform movement was deliberately transformed into a resignation campaign through coordinated 'false propaganda,' with organized groups beginning killings, arson, attacks and looting from July 15.
Bangladesh interim government and judiciary's account
A Dhaka special tribunal sentenced Hasina to death in absentia for alleged 'crimes against humanity' over her government's crackdown on the 2024 student-led protests, and Dhaka is urging New Delhi to extradite her to face the law.
Legitimacy of the interim government
Sheikh Hasina's account
Hasina calls the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus 'illegal' and alleges it halted investigations into the events and prevented the full truth from emerging.
Bangladesh interim government and judiciary's account
The interim government installed after Hasina's ouster holds power in Bangladesh, and Dhaka is actively seeking Hasina's extradition to stand trial under its legal process.
Responsibility for the violence
Sheikh Hasina's account
Hasina says organized groups exploiting the protest movement, not her government, were responsible for the killings, arson, attacks and looting, and questions what duty law enforcement had when police stations, government buildings and public infrastructure were attacked.
Bangladesh interim government and judiciary's account
The Dhaka special tribunal found Hasina's government responsible for the bloodshed, convicting her in absentia of alleged 'crimes against humanity' over the crackdown on student-led protests.
Key facts
- Former Prime Minister
- Sheikh Hasina (age 78)
- Planned return
- December this year
- Announcement venue
- Virtual press conference / media interaction in New Delhi, India
- Exiled since
- August 5, 2024
- Legal status
- Sentenced to death in absentia by a Dhaka special tribunal for alleged 'crimes against humanity'
- Interim government leader
- Muhammad Yunus (called 'illegal' by Hasina)
- Key accusation
- Quota reform movement turned into a resignation campaign using 'false propaganda'
- Violence claim
- Killings, arson, attacks and looting from July 15; Bangladesh Television set on fire
Quotes
Sheikh Hasina
Former Prime Minister of Bangladesh and current opposition leader in exile
“Killings, arson, attacks, and looting began. State property was destroyed. Bangladesh Television was attacked and set on fire.”
republicworld.com
“"My return is not about power, it's about putting Bangladesh back on track of development, secularism and prosperity."”
rediff.com
republicworld.com











