Bangladesh’s prosecutor has said that ousted leader Sheikh Hasina will face execution if she returns to Bangladesh from India, as she reportedly plans a return in December and seeks a new passport.
Prosecutor Md Aminul Islam said Hasina "has no option but to face the execution of the verdict" if she returns, according to Dawn. Hasina was sentenced to death in absentia in November 2025 by a Dhaka court on three counts of crimes against humanity, Dawn reported. Islam said the statutory appeal period has expired and that no appeal can now be filed.
Hasina’s lawyer wrote to the Bangladesh high commission in Delhi requesting a new passport and national identity card, according to a letter seen by the Guardian. Al Jazeera reports that Dhaka rejected the passport request. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir said Bangladesh will pursue Hasina’s extradition from India under current arrangements, Al Jazeera reported. Sources do not confirm whether the rejection has been formally given in writing.
India has not given a response on the extradition request beyond saying it is under legal review. Al Jazeera cites a statement from India’s foreign ministry issued in April.
In a separate development, Dhaka police said they arrested 12 people for petrol bomb attacks this month, and that the suspects were members of the banned Awami League, according to Dawn. The report does not describe the individual suspects, and no charges are reported.
Hasina told the Associated Press by email, as quoted by the Guardian: "If death is my destiny, I would rather die on the soil of my own country, among my own people." Neither Hasina nor her lawyer has responded to the prosecutor’s execution warning, according to the available reporting.
Hasina ruled for 15 years until a mass uprising in August 2024, when she fled to India. She has remained in hiding there, has rejected the charges against her, and has rejected the legitimacy of the tribunal. Tarique Rahman’s government came to power in February in Bangladesh’s first democratic election in decades. The Awami League remains banned, with many members jailed or in exile.
The death toll from the 2024 crackdown on student-led protests is reported differently. Dawn reports "up to 1,400" dead according to the United Nations, while Al Jazeera reports "more than 1,400" according to the same body. The Guardian gives an estimate of 1,400.
Whether Hasina will return in December is also disputed. The Guardian reports that exiled Awami League leaders say she is "confident" of returning by next month. Al Jazeera quotes former US diplomat Jon F Danilowicz saying there is "zero chance" she returns and calling it a bluff. Analyst Faiz Sobhan calls an actual return "inconceivable." Dawn reports that Hasina has repeatedly said she intends to return in December.
The Guardian also says several other party figures have already returned, but the sources name only Mustaque Ahmed Ruhi, who was arrested in September over an alleged murder. No independent confirmation of the other returns is given. The Guardian’s account of exiled party leaders has not been independently confirmed.
Next, observers will be watching whether India responds to the extradition request, whether Hasina’s lawyers pursue a travel document or another route, and whether she attempts a December return, which the government says would lead to her arrest.
Sources
This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.