Sheikh Hasina to return Bangladesh from exile in December

Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has announced plans to return to her home country from exile in India around December, setting the stage for a high-stakes legal and political confrontation. The 78-year-old leader, who fled Dhaka after her government collapsed amid mass protests in August 2024, intends to surrender to authorities despite having been sentenced to death in absentia last November.

Hasina was convicted of crimes against humanity by a special tribunal in Dhaka for her government's crackdown on student-led protests in 2024. She has consistently rejected the charges as politically motivated. In a recent interview, she stated she would voluntarily return to face the legal process in an effort to revive her Awami League party, which has been banned from political activity since May 2025.

The current Bangladeshi government, led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), has welcomed the prospect of her return. Zahed Ur Rahman, an adviser to the prime minister, said the government wants to ensure justice and that the people want her death penalty upheld. He challenged Hasina to bring the best lawyers in the world to defend...