Sheikh Hasina vows to return to Bangladesh despite death sentence.
Former Bangladesh PM calls the verdict politically motivated and unconstitutional.
Extradition demand continues despite improving India-Bangladesh relations.
Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has announced plans to return to her home country this year despite facing a death sentence, she said in an interview with NDTV published on Sunday.
The 78-year-old leader lived exile in India since August 2024 following a student-led uprising that ended her 15-year rule. The announcement comes months after a Dhaka court sentenced the former leader to death in absentia on charges of crimes against humanity.
Since leaving Bangladesh, Hasina has remained largely out of public view. Her only major public appearance was a broadcast address to a packed press club in New Delhi in January.
Defying Death Sentence
A Dhaka court sentenced Hasina to death by hanging in November 2025 for incitement, ordering killings, and failing to act to prevent atrocities. Authorities subsequently banned her former ruling party, the Awami League, once one of the most popular political parties in the country.
Hasina rejected the capital punishment verdict during the interview, saying she was not afraid of death and describing it as "part of an illegal, unconstitutional and politically motivated process".
"Many conspiracies have been hatched against me. But breaking through every web of conspiracy... I was elected prime minister five times by the people's vote and worked for the country's unprecedented development," Hasina said.
She insisted the legal rulings would not deter her travel plans.
"I want to say clearly: overcoming every obstacle and every conspiracy, I will return to my country this year," Hasina added in response to a question on whether she would return despite the death penalty verdict.
Diplomatic Friction Remains
Bilateral relations between India and Bangladesh have largely improved since Tarique Rahman won a landslide election victory in February in the South Asian nation of 170 million people.
However, diplomatic friction persists between the two governments. Bangladesh authorities repeatedly demand that India extradite Hasina so she can face her sentence.
