Sheikh Hasina, the ousted prime minister of Bangladesh, is set to be imprisoned immediately upon her return from self-imposed exile in India, a senior government official announced on Monday. This development follows Hasina’s recent declaration that she intends to come back in December and surrender to the courts.
Hasina has been residing in New Delhi since August 2024 after being sentenced to death in absentia by Bangladesh’s war-crimes tribunal in November. The conviction stems from her alleged role in ordering a brutal crackdown on a student-led uprising that year, an event a United Nations report linked to approximately 1,400 fatalities. Hasina has consistently denied these accusations.
In a significant development, Bangladesh’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shama Obaed Islam, stated that Hasina, as a convicted criminal, will face immediate detention upon surrender. “Sheikh Hasina is a convicted criminal. If she surrenders, action will be taken against her as per the laws of Bangladesh,” Obaed said. He added that she would be incarcerated and that subsequent legal procedures would proceed the country’s legal framework.
The minister also suggested that Hasina’s recent statements were aimed at rallying and organizing fugitive leaders and activists from her banned political party, which was outlawed following the 2024 popular uprising.
In her first interview since fleeing Bangladesh, Hasina revealed her plans to return voluntarily in December, accompanied by other exiled members of her party. “Cases have been filed against almost all of our leaders and workers, and many of them are in hiding,” she said. “So I said that this time I am returning home, and one day, all of you should come. All together, we will all surrender in court.”
Currently, Bangladesh is governed by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s administration, which took office in February following elections intended to stabilize the nation. Dhaka has formally requested India to extradite Hasina. In response, New Delhi announced in April that it was reviewing the extradition request and expressed its intention to engage constructively with the new government to enhance bilateral relations.
