Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has vowed to return home from exile in India by December. The 78-year-old former leader plans to return despite the fact that she faces a death sentence in Bangladesh.
The announcement comes as Hasina marks the second anniversary of her ouster. Her 15-year rule ended in 2024 following a student-led uprising and nearly two months of protests that left nearly 1,400 people dead, according to the United Nations. Hasina fled the country by helicopter during the uprising.
Hasina described the move as her duty to help rescue a country she described as sliding into economic distress and democratic decline. Acknowledging the risks, she stated that although she may be put in a cell or killed, she still has to go.