BANGLADESH'S HASINA SAYS SHE PLANS DECEMBER RETURN TO SURRENDER

Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said she plans to return to Bangladesh in December with senior Awami League colleagues to surrender to authorities, according to Reuters. Hasina, who is living in exile in India, was sentenced to death in absentia after being tried over the deadly crackdown on a student-led uprising that forced her from power in 2024.

Hasina told Reuters she was prepared to face arrest or death when she returns. She denied the charges against her and said the planned return was intended to show what she described as repression against her party. Reuters reported that the Awami League has been banned and that many of its senior members have been arrested, driven into hiding or forced abroad.

The announcement could intensify Bangladesh's political instability before national elections. Reuters reported that Hasina's return could mobilize Awami League supporters, test the interim government's handling of opposition politics and renew attention on the legal cases against figures from her former administration.

The legal case remains politically charged. The Associated Press reported earlier that Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal sentenced Hasina to six months in jail for contempt of court in a separate case linked to a leaked audio clip, while her broader trial involved crimes-against-humanity charges connected to the 2024 crackdown. The Associated Press reported that Hasina had not appeared before the tribunal and was tried in absentia.

Human-rights and legal concerns have surrounded the post-uprising proceedings. The Guardian reported that Hasina's trial began after she fled the country following mass protests, and that critics questioned the tribunal's impartiality while victims' families demanded accountability for deaths during the crackdown. The Guardian reported that more than 1,400 people were killed during the uprising, according to earlier accounts cited in trial coverage.

Hasina told Reuters she had not consulted foreign governments about the planned return. Her presence in India has strained relations between New Delhi and Dhaka, and Reuters reported that her return could ease some tensions with India while creating new domestic pressure inside Bangladesh.

The planned surrender also raises questions about the Awami League's future. Reuters reported that Hasina said she may be barred from elections but argued that the party's political legitimacy should be judged by the public. The interim authorities have banned the party, while Hasina's supporters say the legal process is being used to remove a major political force from the country's electoral system.

The immediate questions are whether Hasina follows through on the December return, whether Bangladeshi authorities arrest her on arrival, and whether senior Awami League figures return with her. Any surrender by the former prime minister would become a major test of Bangladesh's courts, political stability, election planning and relations with India.

Fact-check date: 10 July 2026
Article type: News
Sources: Reuters, Associated Press, The Guardian, Al Jazeera