Ousted Bangladeshi leader Sheikh Hasina to return from exile in December

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FILE - Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrives to attend The Queen's Dinner during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) at Buckingham Palace in London on April 19, 2018. (Daniel Leal-Olivas/Pool Photo via AP, File)

Bangladesh's Prime Minister Tarique Rahman looks at an exhibit at the inauguration of a museum which will serve as a memorial for those killed during the mass uprisings in July 2024, at the former residence of Bangladesh's ousted leader Sheikh Hasina, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu) — FILE - Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrives to attend The Queen's Dinner during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) at Buckingham Palace in London on April 19, 2018. (Daniel Leal-Olivas/Pool Photo via AP, File)

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7:46 AM on Wednesday, August 5

By SHEIKH SAALIQ and JULHAS ALAM

NEW DELHI (AP) — Ousted former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said Wednesday that she plans to return to her country from exile in India in December despite facing a death sentence in Bangladesh over a bloody crackdown on protesters in 2024.

In an audio address to an event in New Delhi marking the second anniversary of the uprising that toppled her government, Hasina said it was her duty to her people to return voluntarily despite her conviction in absentia on charges of crimes against humanity.

Hasina fled to India in 2024 after student-led protests forced her from power, and she has remained in exile there ever since.

In 2025, a Bangladeshi court sentenced her to death on charges of crimes against humanity for ordering a crackdown on the uprising. The United Nations in a report said nearly 1,400 people were killed in the crackdown. Hasina denies any wrongdoing.

Bangladesh has repeatedly sought Hasina’s extradition, but India has so far declined to hand her over.

“I know that they may put me in jail, or they may kill me, or anything may happen, but still I have to go back,” Hasina said during her address. “Fear cannot decide my duty to the people.”

She also called for the ban on her Awami League party to be lifted and for political prisoners to be released.

Also on Wednesday, Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman inaugurated a memorial museum dedicated to the 2024 uprising. The July Mass Uprising Memorial Museum is housed in Hasina’s former official residence in the capital, Dhaka.

The project was launched by the interim government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, who took office on Aug. 8, 2024, three days after Hasina’s ouster. Yunus joined Rahman at the museum’s inauguration.

The museum features audio and video exhibits on the uprising, as well as personal belongings of those killed and newspaper clippings from the time. It also documents alleged political repression during Hasina’s 15 years in power.

Rahman, the son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and Hasina’s archrival, came to power with a landslide victory in February under a vote overseen by Yunus’ interim administration. Hasina's Awami League was barred from participating.

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Alam reported from Dhaka, Bangladesh.