ousted bangladeshi leader
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Ousted Bangladeshi leader Sheikh Hasina vows December return despite facing execution

ByJustpaste.in

Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has announced plans to return to her home country in December, despite facing a death sentence following her conviction for crimes against humanity.

Speaking via audio broadcast to journalists at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club in Delhi, her first direct address to the press since being ousted in August 2024, the 78-year-old former leader acknowledged the grave risks associated with her return. “I know that they may put me in jail or they may kill me, anything may happen, but still I have to go back.” Hasina stated, while declining to reveal specific travel dates or logistics.

Hasina fled to India two years ago following a mass student-led uprising that ended her 15-year rule. Last year, a special tribunal in Dhaka sentenced her to death in absentia after prosecutors presented evidence, including verified audio recordings, showing she authorised the use of lethal force against demonstrators.

UN reports estimate that up to 1,400 people were killed during the crackdown. Hasina continues to reject the charges as politically motivated, alleging that external groups transformed student protests over government job quotas into a violent movement.

The announcement has heightened diplomatic tensions between New Delhi and Dhaka. Bangladesh’s newly elected government, led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), expressed outrage over India permitting Hasina to address international media, renewing its demands for her immediate extradition.

Meanwhile, analysts suggest Hasina’s high-stakes gamble aims to re-energise her banned party, the Awami League, whose supporters face increasing political isolation and violence ahead of her proposed return.

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