'They Can Kill Me, Arrest Me And Torture Me': Sheikh Hasina Says She Is Prepared To Return Bangladesh

Former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina said on Monday she was prepared to return to her country despite the risk of being "killed, arrested or tortured".

“Now I have decided...Yes, I know. If I go back, the moment I will land they can kill me, or they can arrest me and torture me,” Hasina said during a virtual press conference.

The Awami League chief said she had faced threats in Bangladesh before and remained undeterred. Her latest remarks follow an earlier statement that she intended to return by December.

Hasina Was Given Death Sentence In Bangladesh

Hasina’s comments came after a tribunal convicted her in absentia of crimes against humanity over the crackdown on Bangladesh’s student-led protests in 2024. She was sentenced to death for abetting mass murder and authorising lethal force during the suppression of the movement.

Her son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, attended the press conference. He criticised the Tarique Rahman-led government over alleged extrajudicial killings and the imprisonment of Awami League leaders since her ouster.

Hasina also alleged that more than 600 cases had been filed against her, while those responsible for crimes had received immunity from Bangladesh’s interim government.

Hasina Thanks India For Shelter

Hasina has been living in India since August 2024, when student-led protests forced her government from power. During Monday’s interaction, she thanked India for providing shelter.

“I was not prepared to leave my country, but somehow I reached here. I thank the Indian government and the people here,” she said.

In August this year, Hasina addressed her first press conference in Delhi since leaving Bangladesh, at an event organised by the Foreign Correspondents Club of South Asia.

She said she had been forced to leave her country in 2024 but was “never separated” from its people. Asked then about her return, she said she would disclose the details “when the time comes”.