Sheikh Hasina Says She Will Return to Bangladesh Despite Threat of Arrest

New Delhi: Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said she will return to her country despite the possibility of arrest, declaring that her responsibility towards the people outweighs personal fear.

Speaking virtually from New Delhi on Wednesday in her first press conference since her government was toppled in 2024, Hasina said her return would not be driven by a desire to regain power. Instead, she said she wanted to see Bangladesh return to a path of economic progress, secularism and stability.

Hasina, who was convicted in absentia on crimes against humanity charges, said she was prepared to face the consequences of returning. “I have decided to go, and I will go to Bangladesh,” she said, adding that she had been forced out of the country but had never become detached from its people.

Defending her government’s handling of the July-August 2024 protests, Hasina rejected allegations that her administration ordered indiscriminate violence against demonstrators. She alleged that the student-led quota movement was taken over by extremist and foreign-backed groups seeking to overthrow an elected government.

She said her administration had attempted dialogue with student leaders and pursued legal measures to address the quota dispute. However, she claimed the agitation was later transformed into a campaign demanding her removal.

Hasina also alleged that the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus halted a judicial inquiry established by her administration to investigate deaths and violence during the unrest. She questioned why the probe was discontinued if the authorities were committed to accountability.

The former premier further accused the interim administration of targeting Awami League supporters and suppressing dissent. She claimed Bangladesh’s economy had deteriorated since her removal, citing weaker growth, declining industrial activity, rising bank defaults and reduced investment.

Hasina fled to India after the 2024 uprising. A Bangladeshi court sentenced her to death in 2025 over crimes against humanity charges. She denies wrongdoing, while India has not acted on Bangladesh’s requests for her extradition.