Hasina has been living in India since August 5, 2024, after leaving Bangladesh following weeks of anti-government protests supported by Islamist elements. The demonstrations turned violent, and she was advised by the army chief to leave the country for her safety.
In November 2025, Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal sentenced Hasina to death without her presence in court over her alleged role in the government crackdown on the 2024 student-led protests. Hasina has repeatedly denied the allegations.
In a nearly hour-long telephone interview with Reuters, Hasina said she was prepared to face arrest or even death upon her return. She said she and senior Awami League leaders intended to return around December and surrender before the courts.
"They may arrest me on my return, they may even kill me," Hasina said.
"Still, I have to go. My party leaders and workers are being subjected to tremendous repression. If death comes, I want it to come on my own soil, where my parents are buried and where their blood was shed," she added.
The announcement marks the first time Hasina has publicly provided a timeline for her return and stated that other senior Awami League leaders would also surrender. Earlier, she had said through another news outlet that she intended to return to Bangladesh.
Former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, who also faces a death sentence, is among the senior leaders expected to return with Hasina, according to Reuters.
Hasina fled Bangladesh in August 2024 after a student-led mass uprising ended her two-decade rule as prime minister across multiple terms. India provided her refuge after her departure, a move that significantly affected relations between the two neighbouring countries.
Following her departure, Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal sentenced Hasina to death without her presence in court in November 2025 over the alleged crackdown on anti-government protests. She has consistently rejected the accusations and claimed that the cases against her are politically motivated.
The Bangladesh government, first under the interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus and later under the Bangladesh Nationalist Party government headed by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, has repeatedly requested India to extradite Hasina.
Hasina said she had not consulted any foreign government regarding her planned return. She said authorities in Dhaka had repeatedly sent letters to India seeking her return.
"The authorities in Dhaka want to take me back, they are repeatedly sending letters to India seeking to have me sent back," she said.
India's Ministry of External Affairs has said that Bangladesh's extradition request is being examined under ongoing judicial and internal legal processes. Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in April that India would continue to engage constructively with all stakeholders while seeking to strengthen bilateral relations with Bangladesh.
Jaiswal said both countries had agreed to explore proposals to deepen their partnership through relevant bilateral mechanisms. He added that follow-up official meetings were expected and that discussions had also taken place on regional and global issues of mutual interest.
Hasina said she planned to surrender because she believed the legal proceedings would reveal what she described as politically motivated cases.
"I believe in justice, and I feel that once proceedings start, it will be clear to the people how farcical the court is — and that I want to prove it," she told Reuters.
Earlier this year, Bangladesh's Police Bureau of Investigation recommended dropping an attempted murder case against Hasina and 112 others after stating that the alleged victim could not be traced and that the complaint contained fabricated details. Investigators also said they faced pressure despite finding the case fundamentally unreliable, strengthening claims by the Awami League that false cases had been filed under the post-Hasina administration.
Hasina did not reveal the exact date of her return or identify the court before which she would surrender. She said she was not concerned about imprisonment, noting that she had been jailed several times during her political career, including during Bangladesh's military-backed caretaker government in 2007 before returning to power after the 2008 elections.
She also said she had been conducting online meetings covering 125 of Bangladesh's 300 parliamentary constituencies as part of efforts to reorganise the Awami League, which was banned by the interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus.
Reflecting on her two decades in office, Hasina acknowledged that mistakes may have occurred but maintained that the final judgment would belong to the people of Bangladesh.
Hasina's proposed return has intensified attention on Bangladesh's political future, the legal proceedings against its former prime minister, and the continuing dispute between Dhaka and New Delhi over her extradition and political status.
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