Bangladesh's ousted ex-prime minister says she will return despite facing death sentence

Bangladesh's ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina has announced plans to return to her country from exile despite facing a death sentence over a bloody crackdown on protesters in 2024.In an audio address to an event in New Delhi in India on Wednesday, marking the second anniversary of the uprising that toppled her government, Hasina said it was her duty to her people to return voluntarily in December despite her conviction in absentia on charges of crimes against humanity. Hasina fled to India in 2024 after student-led protests forced her from power, and she has remained in exile there ever since.In 2025, a Bangladeshi court sentenced her to death on charges of crimes against humanity for ordering a crackdown on the uprising.A United Nations (UN) report said nearly 1,400 people were killed. Hasina denies any wrongdoing. Who is Sheikh Hasina and why has she been sentenced to death? Bangladesh has repeatedly sought Hasina's extradition, but India has so far refused to hand her over."I know that they may put me in jail, or they may kill me, or anything may happen, but still I have to go back," Hasina said during her address. "Fear cannot decide my duty to the people."She also ca...