Bangladesh's government said this week that it "welcomes" deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina's reported plan to return home, saying she must face the legal process in a case in which she has been sentenced to death in absentia. The remarks came amid reports that Hasina could return to Bangladesh by the end of this year.
Prime Minister's adviser for information and strategy Zahed Ur Rahman said, "We welcome her announcement as we want to ensure justice," and added that the government was under no pressure over her planned return. He also said proceedings at the International Crimes Tribunal-Bangladesh would remain transparent and could be monitored by observers and broadcast through video coverage.
Rahman said, "the people of the country want her death penalty to be upheld for the crimes she committed, and in that case her capital punishment will be executed as the people want to see that".
He added, "Let her bring the best lawyers in the world." At the same time, he said the court could also revise the verdict against Hasina or acquit her, adding, "That too could happen." There have been previous instances in which rulings of the ICT-BD, formed during the Awami League regime in 2010, were stayed or overturned.
Hasina, 78, has been living in India since she fled Dhaka after her government was toppled in a violent student-led street protest on August 5, 2024. Rahman said "procedural issues will not debar her return" and that Delhi could make arrangements after consulting Dhaka on the matter.
