Former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday said she is ready to return to her country, despite the risks involved. In a virtual interaction, Hasina said she had been targeted in her own country in the past but emerged undeterred.
"Now I have decided...Yes, I know. If I go back, the moment I will land they can kill me, or they can arrest me and torture me," Hasina said at a virtual press conference.
Her remarks come weeks after she said she intends to return home on her own by December. However, she didn't specify a timeline for her return in the latest interaction.
The ousted leader's remarks also come after she was convicted for crimes against humanity by a tribunal court over the 2024 student movement in Bangladesh. The Awami League chief was also convicted in absentia for mass murder abetment and authorising lethal force during the violent suppression of the protests and handed a death sentence.
Hasina's son Sajeeb Wazed Joy was present at the US press conference. Criticising Bangladesh's Tarique Rahman-led government, Joy slammed extra-judicial killings and the jailing of Awami League leaders since Hasina's ouster.
Hasina thanks India for shelter
Hasina, whose Awami League government was ousted from power followed by student-led protests in Bangladesh, has been in self-exile in India since August 2024. Addressing the US-based presser, she also thanked the Indian government for giving her shelter.
{{/usCountry}}Hasina, whose Awami League government was ousted from power followed by student-led protests in Bangladesh, has been in self-exile in India since August 2024. Addressing the US-based presser, she also thanked the Indian government for giving her shelter.
{{/usCountry}}Also Read: Indian envoy on giving shelter to Sheikh Hasina: 'It was our duty...she was still Bangladesh PM'
“I was not prepared to leave my country, but somehow I reached here. I thank the Indian government and the people here,” she said.
She also alleged that while over 600 cases were filed against her, those who were actually behind the crimes were granted immunity by the interim government in Bangladesh.
Hasina's Delhi presser after ouster
Two years after fleeing Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina held her first press conference in Delhi at a Foreign Correspondents Club of South Asia event in August this year.
She said that although she was forced away from her country in 2024, she was “never separated” from her people.
During the interaction, Hasina was asked about her expected date of return to Bangladesh, to which she had said she would reveal the details “when the time comes”.
Also Read: Exclusive: Return to Bangladesh not about power but to stand by people, says ex-PM Sheikh Hasina
Later, Sheikh Hasina also interacted with HT in her first telephonic interview with Indian media and alleged the persecution and torture of Awami League leaders in Bangladesh.
She also said she intends to return by December. “I have said I intend to return by December because Bangladesh’s political crisis cannot be allowed to continue indefinitely. I will announce the specific date, time and point of entry in due course,” she said during the interview in September.