Exiled Hasina to Return to Bangladesh, Faces Immediate Jail Time, Minister Warns!
Exiled Hasina to Return to Bangladesh, Faces Immediate Jail Time, Minister Warns!
Bangladesh's former PM Sheikh Hasina plans a December return, but a minister warns she faces jail due to past convictions. A politically charged homecoming awaits!
Bangladesh is abuzz with political tension as exiled former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina reportedly plans her return to Dhaka by December. However, her homecoming is set to be anything but peaceful, with State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam unequivocally stating that Hasina will be immediately jailed upon her return or surrender. "If she surrenders, steps will be taken in accordance with the existing law. She will have to go to jail. The law will take its own course," Ms. Islam was quoted saying by the state-run BSS news agency.
The 78-year-old daughter of Bangladesh's founder, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, has been living in India since August 5, 2024, when her government was toppled in violent student-led street protests. Her planned return, which sources close to her describe as a "completely voluntary decision," comes amidst ongoing efforts by the current Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led government to bring her back to face justice.
Ms. Islam further elaborated that the government would strictly adhere to the existing legal framework. She emphasized that Hasina has already been convicted and, therefore, her statements as a "convicted individual" hold no sway. "Wherever Sheikh Hasina surrenders, whether in India or Bangladesh, she will have to go to jail first," Ms. Islam firmly stated to reporters.
The legal woes for the former Prime Minister escalated last November when she was sentenced to death in absentia by a special tribunal in Dhaka. The charges leveled against her were "crimes against humanity" concerning her government's alleged brutal crackdown on the student-led protests in 2024. Sheikh Hasina has consistently dismissed these charges, the death penalty, and all criminal convictions as "politically motivated," maintaining her innocence. Dhaka has been actively urging New Delhi to extradite her to face the law, a process that reportedly began during the previous interim regime and is now being aggressively pursued by the current administration.
