DHAKA: Ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina will be imprisoned immediately upon her return to Bangladesh from self-imposed exile in India, a senior government official said on Monday. The warning comes days after Hasina announced plans to return in December and surrender to the court.
Hasina, who has been living in New Delhi since August 2024, was sentenced to death in absentia by the country’s war-crimes court in November.
She was convicted of ordering a deadly crackdown on a student-led uprising that year, which a United Nations report stated resulted in 1,400 deaths. Hasina has denied the charges.
Legal action awaits
Bangladesh’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shama Obaed Islam, confirmed to reporters that the former premier would face immediate detention. “Sheikh Hasina is a convicted criminal. If she surrenders, action will be taken against her as per the laws of Bangladesh,” Obaed said. “She will have to go to jail and further proceedings will follow as per the provisions of the law.”
The minister characterised Hasina’s recent remarks as an attempt to coordinate and mobilise fugitive leaders and activists of her banned political party, which was proscribed following the 2024 popular uprising.
Voluntary surrender plans
In her first interview since fleeing the country, Hasina told Reuters last week that she intends to return voluntarily in December alongside other exiled party colleagues. “Cases have been filed against almost all of our leaders and workers, and many of them are in hiding,” Hasina stated. “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.”
Bangladesh is currently governed by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s administration, which assumed office in February following elections aimed at stabilising the country. Dhaka has formally requested Hasina’s extradition from India. In response, New Delhi stated in April that it was examining the request and sought to engage constructively with the new administration to strengthen bilateral relations.