Dhaka: The Bangladesh Government on Tuesday said it “welcomes” deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s plans to return home, adding that she must face justice as a death penalty convict.
The comments came amid reports of Hasina’s possible return to Bangladesh by the end of this year.
Hasina, the 78-year-old daughter of Bangladesh’s founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was toppled in a violent student-led street protest on August 5, 2024.
Meanwhile, the government said it will welcome ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina if she returns to Bangladesh from India to face the cases against her, Prime Minister’s Information Adviser Zahed Ur Rahman said on Monday.
Responding to a question about a Reuters report claiming Hasina, who was ousted during the July 2024 mass uprising, plans to return to Bangladesh around December, Zahed said, “We are trying to bring her back. If she comes, we will welcome her.”
He said he did not believe Hasina’s return would create political pressure or instability, adding that he saw no political future for her in Bangladesh.
“Let her bring the best lawyers in the world,” Zahed said, adding that the International Crimes Tribunal’s proceedings would remain transparent and could be monitored by observers and broadcast through video coverage.
“If the court hands her a different punishment or acquits her, that is the court’s matter. Even so, we want to ensure justice,” he said.
