Sheikh Hasina is coming home. The former Prime Minister declared from a virtual press conference in Washington that she will return to Bangladesh in December, regardless of the lethal risks posed by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s government. "I will go back to Bangladesh in December. I am not afraid. I know they can kill me, arrest me and torture me... It’s my responsibility to go," she stated, refusing to soften the gravity of the threats hanging over her head.
Her son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, later clarified to journalists that no exact date has been fixed yet. An announcement will come closer to the time, keeping the political establishment in Dhaka on a knife’s edge. Since fleeing the country after the August 2024 collapse of her government, Hasina has remained in exile in India, where she publicly thanked the Indian government and people for providing refuge. She compared their hospitality to the support she received in 1975, when she and her sister survived the assassination of their father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and other family members.
This isn’t the first time Hasina has walked into a lion’s den. In 1981, she returned after years abroad following her father’s murder. She did it again in 2007, during a political emergency, facing criminal allegations while the military held power. Now, she accuses the Rahman-led government of weaponizing the judiciary to crush opposition. "I ask that Bangladeshis determine their government through free, inclusive political processes," she said, demanding independent courts and due process rather than what she calls political vendettas.
Hasina did not shy away from the 2024 protests that toppled her. "I acknowledge the difficult questions surrounding my government, the events of 2024 and their aftermath," she admitted. However, she insists that any allegations must be resolved through transparent legal proceedings, not extrajudicial means. "The future of Bangladesh must be built on reconciliation, not revenge," she argued, asserting that excluding political parties from the democratic process only deepens national divisions. The next few weeks will determine if Dhaka prepares for her arrival or hardens its stance.