Sheikh Hasina Seeks Bangladesh Return as Prosecutor Warns of Execution

Sheikh Hasina's proposed homecoming follows two years in India after her removal from power. Her 15-year rule ended in a mass uprising after she tried to crush protests, according to World News CNA.

A Bangladeshi court sentenced her to death in November last year for ordering the deadly crackdown on protesters in 2024, Business Line reported. The outlet said the UN estimates that as many as 1,400 people were killed.

Her party has also lost its legal foothold. NDTV reported that the Awami League was banned following her fall, with many colleagues jailed or living in exile in India or elsewhere.

On November 8, Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman said Bangladesh had formally requested Hasina's repatriation under the India-Bangladesh extradition treaty and would follow due legal process, according to Business Line.

On November 9, Hasina requested a new passport and national identity card so she could return from India, Dawn reported, citing a letter seen by Reuters. Business Line reported that she wrote to the embassy in Delhi and cited rights under Bangladeshi and international law.

The request gave a practical dimension to her promised December homecoming. Al Jazeera reported on November 9 that she had pledged to return that month after two years in India.

Bangladesh's initial response was not uniform across the coverage. The Hindu reported on November 9 that the Foreign Ministry was examining the request. The same day, News18 reported that Minister Humayun Kabir said there was no question of issuing her a passport because she had been sentenced to death.

On November 10, the prosecutor who secured the death sentence said Hasina would be executed if she returned, according to Dawn. Times Now separately reported that Mohammad Aminul Islam, Chief Prosecutor of Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal, said there was no legal basis for issuing her a passport.

India then addressed the documentation issue. On November 10, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal described the passport requirement for extradition as a "technical issue" and said travel required a travel document, The Hindu reported.

The latest reporting describes Bangladesh as ruling out a passport for Hasina, following earlier reports that her application was under examination. The Hindu reported that position alongside India's statement about the need for a travel document. The coverage does not establish an agreed route or timetable for her return.

Bangladesh is treating the matter as an extradition case, not simply a former leader's request to come home. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humayun Kabir said any return must be handled through India under the extradition treaty, according to Times Now. The warning of execution remains a statement by the prosecutor, rather than evidence that a transfer has been arranged.

The dispute is also playing out on the streets. BBC World reported on November 10 that violence erupted as Hasina's supporters staged a protest seeking her return from exile.

The immediate issues are India's response to the extradition request and what document would permit Hasina to travel if a transfer were agreed. The Hindu reported India's position that a travel document is necessary, but the supplied coverage gives no completed arrangement.

Hasina's promised December return is the next stated milestone, according to Al Jazeera. Whether that pledge produces an actual journey remains unresolved, with Bangladesh insisting on an extradition process and its prosecutor warning of execution.