Sheikh Hasina vows to return to Bangladesh ‘this year’ despite death sentence

Ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina has vowed to return ⁠to Bangladesh this year, brushing ⁠aside a death sentence handed down ⁠in absentia and denouncing the ruling as “illegal, unconstitutional and politically motivated”.Hasina, 78, who fled to India after a student-led uprising ousted her government in August 2024, said in an interview with Indian broadcaster NDTV that she was undeterred by the risk ‌and would overcome “every obstacle and every conspiracy” to return home.“I want to say clearly: overcoming every obstacle and every conspiracy, I will return to my country this year,” Hasina said when asked whether she would come back despite the death sentence. It is the first time she has given a timeline for her return.