In a recorded message sent to an event in New Delhi on 5/8, Hasina stated she feels obligated to voluntarily repatriate two years after being overthrown during protest movements in Bangladesh.
"I know they might imprison or kill me; anything could happen. But I must still return. Fear cannot stop me from fulfilling my responsibility to the people," she said.
According to her plan, she will return to Bangladesh from India in December. The former Bangladesh prime minister also called for lifting the ban on her Awami League party and releasing political prisoners.
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Sheikh Hasina in Paris, France, in November 2021. Photo: *AP*
Student-led protests erupted in Bangladesh in 7/2024, opposing a civil service quota allocation policy, and quickly escalated. Protesters called for Hasina, who had just been re-elected for her 5th term as prime minister, to resign.
4/8/2024 was the deadliest day, with Bangladesh authorities recording 94 deaths as security forces clashed with students and youth. A day later, Hasina announced her resignation, took a helicopter to India, and has lived in exile there since.
In 2025, a Bangladesh court sentenced her to death in absentia, accusing her of crimes against humanity for ordering the use of force against protesters. According to a United Nations report, nearly 1,400 people died in the crackdown. Hasina denies all accusations.
Bangladesh has repeatedly asked India to extradite Hasina, but New Delhi has so far refused.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman inaugurated the July 2024 Uprising Memorial Museum on 5/8, dedicated to commemorating the movement that overthrew Hasina’s government. The museum is located in Hasina's former residence in the capital, Dhaka.
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A store in Dhaka, Bangladesh, set on fire during the 8/2024 protest movement. Photo: *AP*
The project began under the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Yunus took office on 8/8/2024, three days after Hasina's ousting, and attended the museum inauguration with Rahman.
The museum showcases audio and visual documentation of the protests, along with memorabilia from victims and newspaper articles published during the events.
Rahman, son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and a long-time political rival of Hasina, won an overwhelming victory in the general election in February under the supervision of the interim government led by Yunus. Hasina's Awami League party was barred from participating in the election.
Huyen Le (According to AP)
