Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was forced out of her country and took sanctuary in India, struck a defiant note on her homecoming, claiming she would return “this year”, over two years later.
Hasina, in an interview to NDTV, charged that the verdict against her was an attempt to render her party, the Awami League, “leaderless”, but that such attempts will not succeed. Last November, Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal judged Hasina guilty of crimes against humanity and condemned her to death.
The judgement against me is not fair. It is part of an unlawful, unconstitutional, politically driven process.” The court has been converted into a tool of political retribution to render Awami League leaderless. There have been such efforts previously. “They failed then, and they will fail again,” she stated in the interview.
Hasina declared that she does not fear death citing the killing of her father, Sheikh Mujibur Rehman, considered the founder of Bangladesh and the loss of her family in 1975. She said she will return to Bangladesh “this year.”
“I am not afraid of death. In 1975, I lost my parents, my brothers, virtually my whole family. On August 21 there was an attempt to murder me with explosives. I have had several plots against me. But, I stood by the people of Bangladesh, busting through each web of conspiracy. I was chosen as the prime minister five times by the people and worked for the extraordinary growth of the country. Almost my whole life has been linked to the people of Bangladesh, to the Awami League, to the democratic fight, to the development of Bangladesh. “So, I want to say clearly, I will return to my country this year overcoming every obstacle and every conspiracy,” Hasina continued.
What was Sheikh Hasina convicted of in Bangladesh?
A special tribunal held Sheikh Hasina accountable for “ordering, inciting and failing to prevent” what the court labelled “a brutal, state-orchestrated crackdown on student-led protests” in July 2024.
A United Nations assessment put the death toll at much to 1,400 during the July 2024 demonstrations. The Bangladesh court found Hasina guilty on five charges, including the use of drones, helicopters and deadly weaponry against civilian gatherings and the wholesale death of protesters in the Dhaka area.
In a statement issued by the Awami League, Hasina sharply criticised the verdict, calling the tribunal “biased, rigged and politically motivated” by an unelected interim administration.
India, however, adopted a neutral tone with the ministry of external affairs (MEA) saying New Delhi is dedicated to the stability and democratic interests of the Bangladeshi people and continues to engage with all local players.
