The ousted leader plans to return to her homeland despite the death sentence against her

Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, sentenced to death in absentia, is working to return to her homeland and stand trial. Her lawyers have filed an urgent request for a new passport after her documents were canceled. The move raises fears of renewed political tensions in the country.

Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India in 2024 following a deadly popular uprising and was sentenced to death in absentia, is working to return to her country as early as next month. This was revealed today (Monday) by Reuters news agency. Her lawyers from the London-based firm 'Matrix Chambers' last week approached the Bangladeshi embassy in New Delhi with an urgent request to issue her a new passport and ID card, after her previous documents were canceled by the interim government. Hasina intends to appear before the court in her country, despite the death sentence imposed on her for her role in the violent suppression of the protests that led to her overthrow. The move raises fears of renewed political tensions in the country, more than two years after her ouster. Her party, the Awami League, was the largest in the country before being outlawed, and many of its senior members have been imprisoned or fled abroad. On the other hand, her return may help improve the strained diplomatic relations between Bangladesh and India.