{"id":2095,"date":"2026-08-05T19:30:11","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T19:30:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?p=2095"},"modified":"2026-08-05T19:30:11","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T19:30:11","slug":"ex-leader-hasina-gambles-on-return-to-bangladesh-despite-death-penalty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?p=2095","title":{"rendered":"Ex-leader Hasina gambles on return to Bangladesh despite death penalty"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"ssrcss-15twdc6-Stack e1y4nx260\">\n<div data-block=\"headline\" class=\"ssrcss-l7emlr-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\"><\/div>\n<div data-block=\"image\" class=\"ssrcss-l7emlr-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"image\" class=\"ssrcss-1uy5kw5-FullWidthWrapper ep2nwvo1\">\n<figure class=\"ssrcss-hc6arm-StyledFigure e34k3c22\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-ab5fd8-StyledFigureContainer e34k3c21\"><span class=\"ssrcss-3uz1fz-Placeholder etlorgc0\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Vehicles move past graffiti depicting former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/615\/cpsprodpb\/7ba1\/live\/97572840-90e8-11f1-9d9d-b9b73beaa905.jpg\" width=\"615\" height=\"346\" class=\"ssrcss-egie1y-Image edrdn950\"><\/span><span role=\"text\" class=\"ssrcss-tzgxt7-StyledFigureCopyright e34k3c20\"><span class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-i2z2ig-VisuallyHidden e16en2lz0\">Image source, <\/span>Getty Images<\/span><\/div><figcaption class=\"ssrcss-3uli8u-StyledFigureCaption ehbdhz00\"><span class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-i2z2ig-VisuallyHidden e16en2lz0\">Image caption, <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-15twdc6-Stack e1y4nx260\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Images of Sheikh Hasina have been defaced in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-block=\"byline\" class=\"ssrcss-vxwoax-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"single-byline\" class=\"ssrcss-sevsa1-ContributorContainer ee66fvo3\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-dt4z-ContributorInfo ee66fvo0\"><span class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-i2z2ig-VisuallyHidden e16en2lz0\">By<\/span><span class=\"ssrcss-nsjd43-TextContributorName epw3ir01\">Anbarasan Ethirajan<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-dqo7s5-ContributorDetails ee66fvo2\"><span class=\"ssrcss-1m5444d-Text ee66fvo4\">Global Affairs Correspondent<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-block=\"metadata\" class=\"ssrcss-l7emlr-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"metadata\">\n<div>\n<ul role=\"list\" class=\"ssrcss-9tw7r1-MetadataStripContainer eh44mf03\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-10q9h22-GroupChildrenForWrapping eh44mf02\">\n<li role=\"listitem\" class=\"ssrcss-sf7vdp-MetadataStripItem eh44mf01\">\n<div class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-i2z2ig-VisuallyHidden e16en2lz0\">Published<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-m5j4pi-MetadataContent eh44mf00\"><span class=\"ssrcss-1pvwv4b-MetadataSnippet e4wm5bw3\"><span class=\"ssrcss-61mhsj-MetadataText e4wm5bw1\"><time data-testid=\"timestamp\" datetime=\"2026-08-05T19:02:06.134Z\">27 minutes ago<\/time><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/div>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-block=\"text\" class=\"ssrcss-vxwoax-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"rich-text\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-nqezkk-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><b class=\"ssrcss-1xjjfut-BoldText e5tfeyi3\">Former Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina has vowed to return to her country in December, despite facing the death penalty there for crimes against humanity.<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Hasina, who denies the charges, was tried in absentia after fleeing to India during an anti-government uprising in 2024.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">On the second anniversary of being ousted, Hasina said in an audio broadcast to a crowded press club in Delhi that she &#8220;had to go back&#8221;, but wouldn&#8217;t announce her exact plans or dates yet.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Her Awami League party has been falling apart and Indian officials have been facing pressure to extradite her after a special tribunal in Dhaka sentenced her to death last year for ordering lethal force to be used on protesters.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Hasina&#8217;s virtual meeting with reporters at the Foreign Correspondents&#8217; Club in Delhi was her first meeting with the media since she was toppled after 15 years in power.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">She delivered a speech over an audio link and then took a handful of questions. <\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;I know that they may put me in jail or they may kill me, anything may happen, but still I have to go back,&#8221; she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">In the address she alleged that several organisations had turned the 2024 student protests into a &#8220;violent movement&#8221;, without providing any evidence.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">She has always rejected the charges on which she was convicted as politically motivated. But UN investigators found <a href=\"\/news\/articles\/cnvqle40183o\" class=\"ssrcss-1e0jzsh-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0\">evidence that she and her government tried to cling to power using systematic, deadly violence<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">In audio of one <a href=\"\/news\/articles\/cn4l1z5qd1vo\" class=\"ssrcss-1e0jzsh-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0\">phone call verified by BBC Eye<\/a>, Hasina was heard authorising the deadly crackdown on demonstrators. Prosecutors used the recording as crucial evidence in convicting her. <\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The UN estimates up to 1,400 people were killed, most by gunfire from security forces, during the protests, which started as a student-led movement against quotas in government jobs and turned into a mass uprising.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The 78-year-old fled Dhaka as tens of thousands of demonstrators held protests and stormed government buildings, including her official residence, plunging the country of more than 170 million into crisis.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Soon after she was toppled, an interim government took charge. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party came to power after elections in February this year, with its leader Tarique Rahman now prime minister. <\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">His government had already warned local mediase not to publish or broadcast Hasina&#8217;s comments. After her address, it said it was &#8220;outraged&#8221; India had allowed her to take part in a public meeting with the media.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;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,&#8221; a foreign ministry statement said. <\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Hasina&#8217;s presence in Delhi has strained relations with Bangladesh, which wants her extradited, a request India says it&#8217;s examining.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-block=\"links\" class=\"ssrcss-vxwoax-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1gccci3-Stack e1y4nx260\">\n<ul role=\"list\" class=\"ssrcss-94r6ik-Stack e1y4nx260\">\n<li class=\"ssrcss-qzx51b-LinkItem e3eyuya1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1gccci3-Stack e1y4nx260\"><a href=\"\/news\/articles\/cpwvg99e8vdo\" class=\"ssrcss-kth21g-LinkAnchor e3eyuya2\"><span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-7zrqh4-LinkHeadline e3eyuya4\"><span aria-hidden=\"false\">Bangladesh&#8217;s ousted leader Sheikh Hasina sentenced to death<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1ulytiq-LinkIconContainer e3eyuya3\"><\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<div>\n<ul role=\"list\" class=\"ssrcss-9tw7r1-MetadataStripContainer eh44mf03\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-10q9h22-GroupChildrenForWrapping eh44mf02\">\n<li role=\"listitem\" class=\"ssrcss-sf7vdp-MetadataStripItem eh44mf01\">\n<div class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-i2z2ig-VisuallyHidden e16en2lz0\">Published<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-m5j4pi-MetadataContent eh44mf00\"><span class=\"ssrcss-1pvwv4b-MetadataSnippet e4wm5bw3\"><span class=\"ssrcss-61mhsj-MetadataText e4wm5bw1\">17 November 2025<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/div>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ssrcss-qzx51b-LinkItem e3eyuya1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1gccci3-Stack e1y4nx260\"><a href=\"\/programmes\/w172zss4x5vhsbb\" class=\"ssrcss-kth21g-LinkAnchor e3eyuya2\"><span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-7zrqh4-LinkHeadline e3eyuya4\"><span aria-hidden=\"false\">https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/programmes\/w172zss4x5vhsbb<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1ulytiq-LinkIconContainer e3eyuya3\"><\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-block=\"text\" class=\"ssrcss-vxwoax-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"rich-text\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-nqezkk-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">A return by Hasina to Dhaka, if it happens, is likely to have repercussions, including political unrest.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;It&#8217;s a huge risk for her personally. If she does go back to Bangladesh, she will immediately be arrested,&#8221; says David Bergman, an analyst based in Dhaka.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">It&#8217;s likely that supporters of the ruling BNP, as well as the party of the students, the National Citizens Party, Islamists and others could hold rallies demanding that her sentence be carried out.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">But the stakes are also high for the Awami League, if she does not return.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The activities of the party were banned soon after she fled the country and it was not allowed to contest the February general election.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Awami League leaders allege that hundreds of supporters have been killed in mob violence and dozens have died in the custody of security forces. Dhaka officials reject accusations that Awami League supporters are being systematically targeted.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;If Ms Hasina doesn&#8217;t go back, the violence will continue and they will exterminate the Awami League,&#8221; Mohammad Ali Arafat, a former minister in Ms Hasina&#8217;s cabinet, who is also overseas, told the BBC.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">There has been growing discontent among a section of her party that many top leaders had fled the country while leaving mid-level leaders and supporters vulnerable to attacks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;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&#8217;s got to go back to Bangladesh and face it,&#8221; David Bergman says.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-block=\"topicList\" class=\"ssrcss-vxwoax-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-tcr9z1-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"topic-list\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-nj9heb-StyledTagContainer ed0g1kj1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1pfbb52-TopicListHeaderWrapper etw6iwl0\">\n<h2 class=\"ssrcss-89o2pv-Heading e10rt3ze0\">Related topics<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-17ehax8-Cluster e1ihwmse1\">\n<ul role=\"list\" class=\"ssrcss-w8zanw-ClusterItems e1ihwmse0\">\n<li><a href=\"\/news\/topics\/crr7mlg0gqdt\" class=\"ssrcss-1ypd9i8-StyledLink ed0g1kj0\">Sheikh Hasina<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/news\/topics\/c5rznn0nvvyt\" class=\"ssrcss-1ypd9i8-StyledLink ed0g1kj0\">Asia<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/news\/topics\/c77jz3md7grt\" class=\"ssrcss-1ypd9i8-StyledLink ed0g1kj0\">Bangladesh<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Images of Sheikh Hasina have been defaced in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka ByAnbarasan Ethirajan Global Affairs Correspondent Published 27 minutes ago Former Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina has vowed to return to her country in December, despite facing the death penalty there for crimes against humanity. Hasina, who denies the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2095","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Ex-leader Hasina gambles on return to Bangladesh despite death penalty - Asia Newscast<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?p=2095\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ex-leader Hasina gambles on return to Bangladesh despite death penalty - Asia Newscast\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Images of Sheikh Hasina have been defaced in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka ByAnbarasan Ethirajan Global Affairs Correspondent Published 27 minutes ago Former Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina has vowed to return to her country in December, despite facing the death penalty there for crimes against humanity. Hasina, who denies the [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?p=2095\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Asia Newscast\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-05T19:30:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/615\/cpsprodpb\/7ba1\/live\/97572840-90e8-11f1-9d9d-b9b73beaa905.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/?p=2095#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/?p=2095\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"\",\"@id\":\"\"},\"headline\":\"Ex-leader Hasina gambles on return to Bangladesh despite death penalty\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-05T19:30:11+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/?p=2095\"},\"wordCount\":775,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/?p=2095#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\\\/ace\\\/standard\\\/615\\\/cpsprodpb\\\/7ba1\\\/live\\\/97572840-90e8-11f1-9d9d-b9b73beaa905.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/?p=2095#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/?p=2095\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.asianewscast.com\\\/?p=2095\",\"name\":\"Ex-leader Hasina gambles on return to Bangladesh despite death penalty - 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Hasina, who denies the [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?p=2095","og_site_name":"Asia Newscast","article_published_time":"2026-08-05T19:30:11+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/615\/cpsprodpb\/7ba1\/live\/97572840-90e8-11f1-9d9d-b9b73beaa905.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?p=2095#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?p=2095"},"author":{"name":"","@id":""},"headline":"Ex-leader Hasina gambles on return to Bangladesh despite death penalty","datePublished":"2026-08-05T19:30:11+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?p=2095"},"wordCount":775,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?p=2095#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/615\/cpsprodpb\/7ba1\/live\/97572840-90e8-11f1-9d9d-b9b73beaa905.jpg","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?p=2095#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?p=2095","url":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?p=2095","name":"Ex-leader Hasina gambles on return to Bangladesh despite death penalty - 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