Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has made an emphatic public declaration that she is preparing to return to Bangladesh, asserting that the grave risks of arrest, torture, or even death will not deter her. Addressing a Washington-based press conference virtually from the Center for US-Bangladesh Relations, the veteran Awami League leader maintained that returning home is an unavoidable personal and political duty. “How risky it is, I don’t care. I have to go back,” Hasina stated, adding that while authorities could arrest, torture, or execute her upon arrival, fear cannot dictate her obligation to stand beside her party workers and the people of Bangladesh during their hour of distress.

December Timeline Under Consideration as Awami League Prepares Legal Surrender

Having resided in India since being forced from office during the widespread student-led uprising in August 2024, Hasina revealed plans to return around December alongside senior Awami League leaders to present themselves before the courts. While her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy noted that exact logistical dates will be finalized closer to departure, Hasina underscored that she is ready to surrender to judicial processes to contest the politically charged allegations filed against her. Dismissing ongoing cases and death-sentence rulings handed down in Dhaka as politically motivated persecution, she insisted that if death were to claim her, she would prefer it to happen on her native soil where her parents are buried.

Gratitude Toward India and Fresh Diplomatic Outreach to Washington

During the address, the former prime minister expressed profound gratitude to the government and people of India for extending safe refuge following her 2024 ouster, drawing a historical parallel to the shelter provided to her after the tragic assassination of her father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1975. Turning to broader geopolitical dynamics, Hasina appealed for stronger diplomatic and economic ties with the United States, encouraging American investment in trade, security, education, and technology. She emphasized that Bangladesh must avoid becoming a polarized battleground for great-power rivalries, urging international partners to support transparent, multi-party democratic elections to restore long-term stability across the country.