Ousted Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina Faces Execution Threat Upon Return

A Bangladeshi prosecutor who secured the death sentence against ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina said on Tuesday that she would face execution if she returns to the country, as she reiterated her plan to go back in December from India, where she is living in exile. Md Aminul Islam said Hasina had exhausted her legal options after missing the deadline to appeal against her conviction for crimes against humanity over the 2024 crackdown on protesters. “Sheikh Hasina has no option but to face the execution of the verdict,” Islam told the press, responding to reports that she planned to return from India. “The statutory appeal period has expired, and no appeal can now be filed,” he added. Hasina, 79, was sentenced to death in absentia by a Dhaka court in November 2025 after being found guilty on three counts of crimes against humanity, including incitement, ordering killings and failing to prevent atrocities during the crackdown on the student-led uprising. She has repeatedly said she intends to return to Bangladesh in December, telling AFP that she is “fully aware” she could be hanged if she goes back. However, she said that “fear cannot decide” her “duty to the people”. Hasina’s 15-year rule ended in August 2024 following a mass uprising which her government initially attempted to suppress. She fled the country and arrived in India by helicopter as protesters stormed her palace and has remained here since. The United Nations estimated that up to 1,400 people were killed during the crackdown. Hasina refused to appear before the court during her trial, which examined whether she bore command responsibility for the violence. She was represented by a state-appointed lawyer and described the proceedings as a “jurisprudential joke”. Bangladesh’s foreign ministry has sought her extradition from India . New Delhi has said the request is under legal review, and her continued presence in India has strained relations between the two neighbours. Islam advised Hasina to approach Indian authorities if she genuinely intends to return under the extradition treaty. He also said the passport authority can refuse to issue a passport to anyone convicted of serious crimes. Hasina’s lawyers this week requested the renewal of her passport but did not specify where or when she intended to travel. She also faces several other cases, including corruption charges. Hasina, daughter of Bangladesh’s 1971 independence movement leader and the country’s first president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman , presided over a period of rapid economic growth that helped transform the country into a major manufacturing hub. Her government was also accused by critics of jailing political opponents, imposing restrictive press laws and overseeing widespread human rights abuses. Her proposed return poses a challenge for Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s government, amid divisions over how she should be dealt with. While many Bangladeshis want her to be executed, others fear her return could mobilise her supporters and trigger renewed confrontation.