Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is also the leader of the Awami League Party, has vowed to return to her home country this year, defying a death sentence handed down against her by the country’s International Crimes Tribunal.
‘I do not fear death’
In a recent exclusive interview with NDTV, Hasina said she is not afraid of death, recalling the many times her life and her family’s lives were put in danger.
She insisted that despite all these efforts, she stood beside the people of Bangladesh.
She also said that the verdict handed down against her was politically motivated, saying that it was aimed at crippling her party.
“The verdict against me is not justice. It is part of an illegal, unconstitutional, and politically motivated process,” she told NDTV.
“The judiciary has been turned into an instrument of political revenge to make the Awami League leaderless. Such attempts have been made before.
“They failed then, and they will fail again.
“So, I want to say clearly: overcoming every obstacle and every conspiracy, I will return to my country this year.”
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Hasina says ‘there is no democracy’ in current government
The former premier insisted that her planned return to Bangladesh is rooted not in political ambition but in a mission to restore political rights, democracy, the rule of law, and the ideals of Bangladesh’s 1971 Liberation War.
She criticised the government under the leadership of the former interim chief Muhammad Yunus and the current government headed by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, saying they have no democracy, no rule of law, and no security.
She also said that the economy has weakened and that minorities are under attack.
“My return is not a question of personal ambition. It is tied to a far larger question: the political rights of the people of Bangladesh, the restoration of democracy, the rule of law, and the spirit of our Liberation War,” she said.
Hasina’s death sentence
In November 2025, the former premier was sentenced to death as investigations into the July uprising killings began under the interim government.
Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, resulting in the deaths of 1,400 people.
During the trial, Hasina was in exile in India, and the International Crimes Tribunal tried her in absentia.
Prosecutors said Hasina was behind hundreds of killings during the protests.
Earlier this year, the government submitted all the necessary documents to India for Hasina’s repatriation.
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