Hasina has been living in India since August 2024, after her Awami League government was toppled following a student-led uprising.
Hasina was later sentenced to death in absentia by the tribunal in November 2025 - a trial which was criticised by her supporters.
Hasina has also said in some of the interviews that she intends to continue leading the Awami League from exile.
Bangladesh Seeks Hasina’s Return Through Legal Process: Home Minister
Bangladesh’s Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has said the government wants former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to return through “legal procedures”, reacting to her recent remarks that she hoped to return home “very soon” despite facing a death sentence.
Summary
“We want to get her back through legal procedures,” Ahmed, a senior minister in Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s cabinet, told reporters on Thursday, adding that he was not aware of any legal obstacle to Hasina's return if she wished to do so.
Hasina has been living in India since August 2024, after her Awami League government was toppled following a student-led uprising.
The subsequent interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus banned the Awami League through an executive order and initiated proceedings against Hasina in Bangladesh’s reconstituted International Crimes Tribunal.
Hasina was later sentenced to death in absentia by the tribunal in November 2025 - a trial which was criticised by her supporters.
The BNP government, which came to power in February, endorsed the interim administration’s decision to ban the Awami League.
Home Minister Ahmed’s remarks came a day after Prime Minister Rahman’s information affairs adviser Zahedur Rahman said no “extra-judicial measures” would be taken against Hasina if she returned to Bangladesh.
He said the former prime minister would, however, have to “surrender to the judiciary” and face the legal proceedings against her.
Local media in Dhaka have cited legal experts saying that the deadline for challenging the tribunal verdict has expired.
In recent interviews with some Indian media outlets, Hasina said she hoped to return to Bangladesh “very soon” with her “head held high”, as she criticised the current political leadership in Bangladesh over alleged democratic backsliding and warned of rising anti-India rhetoric in the country.
Hasina has also said in some of the interviews that she intends to continue leading the Awami League from exile.
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