Sheikh Hasina Announces Return to Bangladesh in December

In a major announcement, former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stated she will return to Bangladesh in December 2026 to surrender before the court. In an hour-long telephone interview with Reuters, the 78-year-old leader confirmed that several senior Awami League leaders, potentially including former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, will accompany her to face the judicial process.

Hasina fled to India on August 5, 2024, following a coup and violent student protests. Subsequently, in November 2025, Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) sentenced her to death in absentia for the crackdown and casualties during the 2024 protests—charges she vehemently denies.

Her statement comes amid continuous extradition demands from Dhaka, initially pushed by Muhammad Yunus's interim government and now by the BNP government led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. "When I return, they might arrest me. They might even assassinate me... But still, I must go. My party leaders and workers are facing terrible atrocities and suppression in Bangladesh right now," Hasina told Reuters. "If death is to come, I want it to be on my own soil, where my parents are buried and where their blood was shed."

She clarified that she hasn't discussed her return with any foreign government. While India's MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal previously stated that New Delhi is reviewing the extradition request while aiming to maintain constructive ties with the new Bangladeshi government, Hasina emphasized, "I won't need anyone to send me, I will return to my country on my own."