Bangladesh prosecutor says Hasina will face exeecution if she returns:Govt rejects former PM’s passport request, claims she has no options left

Bangladesh’s Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Aminul Islam has said former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will be sentenced to death if she returns to the country, amid reports that she is attempting to secure new travel documents to facilitate her return. Speaking on Tuesday, Islam said Hasina had no options left after being convicted in a case related to the crackdown on the 2024 student uprising. He also said that a person convicted of a serious crime could not be issued a passport. According to reports, Hasina’s lawyers emailed the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi on November 9, seeking a new passport and national identity card for her. However, the Bangladesh government rejected the request. In November 2025, a Bangladeshi court sentenced Hasina to death over her government’s crackdown on the student-led protests. She rejected the charges and described the trial as a farce. Hasina plans to return to Bangladesh in December Hasina fled Bangladesh on August 5, 2024, amid massive anti-government protests and arrived in India by helicopter. The protests had intensified to the extent that demonstrators reached her official residence in Dhaka. She has remained in India since then. Hasina has repeatedly indicated that she intends to return to Bangladesh in December. In an interview with AFP, she acknowledged that she could face the death penalty upon returning but said she would not abandon her responsibility towards the people out of fear. Bangladesh asks India to extradite Hasina Chief Prosecutor Aminul Islam said Hasina should approach the Indian government if she genuinely wanted to return to Bangladesh. He added that the process could be initiated under the extradition treaty between the two countries. Bangladesh has already requested Hasina’s extradition from India. New Delhi has said that the request is being examined through the appropriate legal process. Her continued stay in India and Dhaka’s demand for her extradition have remained contentious issues in bilateral relations. India calls extradition a legal matter External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal described the matter as a legal and technical issue. He said that appropriate action would be taken in accordance with the law and pointed out that travel documents were necessary for anyone wishing to travel internationally. Former Indian diplomat questions Bangladesh’s response Former Indian diplomat Veena Sikri said Hasina had publicly expressed her willingness to return to Bangladesh and face trial. She described applying for travel documents as a logical step, given that her passport had been cancelled. Sikri also questioned the Bangladesh government’s response to the application, saying it appeared contradictory to its continued demand for Hasina’s extradition from India. She said the position taken by Bangladesh’s government indicated that it did not want Hasina to return through the process she had proposed. ​