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Bangladesh’s ousted PM Sheikh Hasina says she’ll return from exile despite facing death sentence over deadly protest crackdown
Sheikh Hasina says she intends to return to Bangladesh from exile in India in December, despite a death sentence imposed over her government’s deadly crackdown on protesters. Her planned return could lead to her arrest and comes amid political uncertainty and restrictions on her party.
Hasina was ousted in 2024 after student-led protests. A special tribunal sentenced her in 2025 for crimes against humanity; the UN has reported nearly 1,400 deaths, while Hasina denies wrongdoing and disputes the trial’s legitimacy. Bangladesh has sought her extradition, which India has declined. Her Awami League party remains banned, and Hasina alleges its members have been killed, arrested or driven into hiding.
In short
- Hasina says she will return to Bangladesh in December.
- She faces arrest and a death sentence over the crackdown.
- Her party remains banned amid a contested political climate.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Supporters of accountability argue that the scale of deaths reported during the crackdown warrants prosecution, and that a return could allow Hasina to face legal proceedings in Bangladesh. They may see a credible trial as essential to justice for victims and to restoring public trust after the uprising.
The case against
Hasina and her supporters argue that the tribunal’s legitimacy is disputed and that a death sentence, amid restrictions on her party, raises serious concerns about due process and political neutrality. They may contend that accountability requires a fair, independent process and that extradition or arrest under current conditions could deepen political exclusion rather than resolve it.