Ex-leader Hasina gambles on return to Bangladesh despite death penalty

Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has declared her intention to return to Bangladesh in December, despite facing a death sentence for crimes against humanity. Images of Hasina have been defaced in Dhaka, the capital.

Hasina, who maintains her innocence, was convicted in absentia after she fled to India during an anti-government uprising in 2024. On the second anniversary of her ousting, Hasina announced in an audio broadcast to a packed press club in Delhi that she "had to go back," though she did not disclose specific dates or plans.

Her Awami League party has been disintegrating, and Indian officials are under pressure to extradite her following a special tribunal in Dhaka sentencing her to death last year for ordering the use of lethal force against protesters.

Hasina's virtual meeting with reporters at the Foreign Correspondents' Club in Delhi marked her first media appearance since being removed from power after 15 years. She delivered a speech via an audio link and answered a few questions. "I know that they may put me in jail or they may kill me, anything may happen, but still I have to go back," she stated.

During her address, she claimed, without providing evidence, that several organizations had transformed the 2024 student protests into a "violent movement." She has consistently dismissed the charges against her as politically motivated. However, UN investigators found evidence that she and her government attempted to retain power through systematic, deadly violence.

In an audio recording of a phone call verified by BBC Eye, Hasina was heard authorizing the deadly crackdown on demonstrators. Prosecutors used this recording as crucial evidence in her conviction. The UN estimates that up to 1,400 people were killed during the protests, mostly by gunfire from security forces. These protests began as a student-led movement against government job quotas and escalated into a mass uprising.

The 78-year-old fled Dhaka as tens of thousands of demonstrators protested and stormed government buildings, including her official residence, plunging the nation of over 170 million into crisis.

An interim government took power shortly after her ousting. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) won elections in February of this year, with its leader, Tarique Rahman, now serving as prime minister. His government had previously warned local media against publishing or broadcasting Hasina's comments. Following her address, it expressed "outrage" that India had permitted her to participate in a public meeting with the media.

A foreign ministry statement declared, "Our people have firmly resolved that our nation will never again go back to the dark days of fascism and that Bangladesh will never be a client state."

Hasina's presence in Delhi has strained relations with Bangladesh, which seeks her extradition—a request India states it is currently examining.

A potential return by Hasina to Dhaka is likely to have significant repercussions, including political unrest. David Bergman, a Dhaka-based analyst, commented, "It's a huge risk for her personally. If she does go back to Bangladesh, she will immediately be arrested."

It is anticipated that supporters of the ruling BNP, the student-led National Citizens Party, Islamists, and other groups could organize rallies demanding the execution of her sentence.

However, the stakes are also high for the Awami League if she does not return. The party's activities were banned soon after she fled the country, and it was prohibited from contesting the February general election. Awami League leaders allege that hundreds of their supporters have been killed in mob violence, and dozens have died in the custody of security forces. Dhaka officials deny accusations of systematic targeting of Awami League supporters.

Mohammad Ali Arafat, a former minister in Hasina's cabinet who is also overseas, told the BBC, "If Ms Hasina doesn't go back, the violence will continue and they will exterminate the Awami League."

There has been growing dissatisfaction within a segment of her party, with many top leaders having fled the country while leaving mid-level leaders and supporters vulnerable to attacks.

David Bergman noted, "It must be to do with the recognition that if Ms Hasina is going to have any relevance to Bangladesh politics in the future, she's got to go back to Bangladesh and face it."