Sheikh Hasina, the former Prime Minister of Bangladesh who fled the country following mass protests in 2024, is expected to make a rare public address via videolink from New Delhi on Wednesday. The event, organized by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of South Asia, will also feature her son and other senior members of the Awami League party. This appearance marks approximately two years since her government collapsed amid a student-led uprising protesting a government job reservation system.
Hashina has remained in exile in India since August 2024, when she fled the country by helicopter as protests intensified. She faces a death sentence passed in absentia last year for crimes against humanity, stemming from allegations that she ordered security forces to open fire on demonstrators. An estimated 1,400 people died during the crackdown, with over 20,000 others injured. Bangladesh’s government has also pursued charges related to enforced disappearances during her 17-year tenure. Despite multiple extradition requests from Dhaka, India has resisted Bangladesh’s attempts to return her, citing legal processes and citing what observers characterize as political motivations behind the charges.
Bangladesh’s authorities banned local media from broadcasting the address, a move criticized by Hasina’s supporters as an attempt to suppress dissent. In January, Hasina delivered an audio address to a similar gathering that drew over 100,000 online listeners, during which she attacked Muhammad Yunus, who led Bangladesh’s interim government following her ouster. She has announced plans to return to Bangladesh in December of this year to face court proceedings, acknowledging the risks involved.
Political analysts view her planned return as an effort to maintain influence over the Awami League party, which was barred from participating in elections held earlier this year. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party, led by Tarique Rahman, won a substantial parliamentary majority in those elections. Some observers caution that Hasina’s return could destabilize the country, given her continued support among certain segments of the population. India-Bangladesh relations have improved since Rahman took office, though tensions persist regarding New Delhi’s continued protection of the former leader.
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