Bangladesh ex-PM Hasina says return from exile ‘duty to people’

She spoke on the second anniversary of the student-led uprising that overthrew her iron-fisted rule on Aug. 5, 2024.Bangladesh’s fugitive former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said Wednesday she would return to her country in December even if it meant imprisonment, insisting that “fear cannot decide” her “duty to the people.”“I may be detained. I may be sent to prison. But fear cannot decide my duty to the people,” Hasina, 78, said in an audio broadcast to a packed press club in New Delhi.“I cannot stay away while my beloved countrymen are suffering,” added Hasina, who is in hiding in India.She spoke on the second anniversary of the student-led uprising that overthrew her iron-fisted rule on Aug. 5, 2024.Hasina fled by helicopter to India as crowds stormed her palace.The United Nations says up to 1,400 people were killed in crackdowns as she tried to cling to power.In November 2025, a court in Dhaka found Hasina guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced her to death by hanging.Dhaka has formally requested Hasina’s extradition, which New Delhi has said is “under examination.”Hasina said she wants to return in December because it marks the month Bangladesh gained independence in 1971.Her comments Wednesday drew anger in Dhaka, where protesters burned her effigy.Her remarks echoed comments she made in an interview with AFP in July, in which she said she wanted to return to Bangladesh by the end of the year.“I may be killed. I may be arrested. I may be sent to prison,” Hasina wrote in an email sent from hiding. “I am fully aware of my fate. Still, I want to go back because my people are calling me.”The Bangladeshi government has said it will ensure Hasina receives due process in all cases against her should she return.Rights groups have long accused Hasina’s former administration of abuses, including the killing of political rivals, suppression of opposition parties, manipulation of the courts and one-sided elections.Tens of thousands of people watched the address online.Bangladeshi authorities have banned local media from airing her speech.__© Agence France-PresseSubscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads