NEW DELHI: Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has announced she will return to her country in December 2026, despite facing a death sentence in absentia.
The 78-year-old ousted leader made the declaration during a virtual media conference held in New Delhi on August 5, 2026, her first public interaction with international journalists since fleeing to India two years ago.
Speaking in an audio-only address to the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of South Asia, Hasina said she and senior Awami League leaders plan to go back to Bangladesh together and surrender to authorities. “I know, they may put me in jail or kill me … I will go back home to be with my people,” she said.
Hasina, who was ousted following mass protests in August 2024, has been living in exile in India since then. She faces a death sentence passed in absentia by an International Crimes Tribunal and multiple criminal cases related to the violent crackdown on demonstrators.
The virtual press conference drew a sharp response from Bangladesh’s interim government, which expressed outrage and banned local media from broadcasting Hasina’s speech. India’s government distanced itself from the event, saying it had “nothing to do with” the private media conference.
While Hasina did not specify an exact date, her spokesperson earlier said she aims to return by December 31, 2026. She framed the decision as a duty to her people rather than an attempt to regain power, saying she wants to “put Bangladesh back on track of development, secularism and prosperity.”
Bangladesh has sought Hasina’s extradition from India. The Awami League has been legally dissolved by Bangladesh’s interim authorities, and Hasina has indicated part of her motivation for returning is to challenge these legal actions.
