Ex-PM Sheikh Hasina announces plan to return to Bangladesh

Al Jazeera:

Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said she will return to her country after two years in exile in India, despite facing the death penalty.

The 78-year-old, who was dramatically ousted following a brutal crackdown on protesters in 2024, made the announcement on Wednesday via video link at an event hosted by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club (FCC) of South ‌Asia, alongside her son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, and other Awami League leaders, including former Education Minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel.

“I may be detained, I may be sent to prison. But fear cannot decide my duty to the people,” she said. “I cannot stay away while my beloved countrymen are suffering.”

She said the exact date of the return will be announced “when the time comes”, but she wants it to be in December this year.

Hasina’s added that the ban on her Awami League party should be lifted. Her son said they were not in contact with the current government.