Hasina, the 78-year-old daughter of Bangladesh’s founding leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was ousted during a violent student-led protest on August 5, 2024. Since then, she has been residing in India after fleeing Dhaka following her government’s collapse.
“If she turns herself in, actions will be taken in line with the prevailing law. She will be required to serve time in prison. The legal system will proceed accordingly,” State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam was reported as saying by the state-run BSS news agency.
Shama indicated that the government will strictly adhere to the current legal framework if Hasina returns.
Last week, insiders close to Hasina mentioned that she is preparing to come back to Dhaka by December, describing the choice as completely voluntary.
“Wherever Sheikh Hasina decides to surrender, be it in India or Bangladesh, she will need to be incarcerated first. The government will not take into account statements from an individual with a criminal conviction,” Shama informed the press.
She emphasized that Hasina has already been found guilty, and thus the government has no obligation to regard the statements from a convicted individual.
In November last year, Hasina received a death sentence in absentia from a special tribunal in Dhaka for purported “crimes against humanity” related to her government’s severe response to student-led protests in 2024.
Hasina has labelled the death sentence, her criminal convictions, and related charges as “politically motivated”.
Since the ruling, Dhaka has been pressuring New Delhi to extradite her to face justice.
Shama mentioned that efforts to return Hasina to Bangladesh began during the previous interim government and are now being advanced by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led administration.
She stated that the legal process will determine the subsequent actions to be taken once Hasina arrives back in Bangladesh.
Regarding Hasina’s intentions to come back, the minister expressed her belief that the comments were aimed at rallying Awami League leaders and activists who have either gone underground or left the country.
“Instead of surrendering, her statements made from abroad seem to promote Awami League leaders and activists who have gone into hiding or fled overseas. I see no other explanation,” she concluded.
