Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to address supporters by videolink on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, from New Delhi, two years after student-led protests forced her from office. The event is hosted by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of South Asia and is titled “Sheikh Hasina’s homecoming.”
The appearance comes as Bangladesh seeks her extradition from India and while she remains under a death sentence imposed in absentia in November 2025. Bangladesh has also barred local media from broadcasting the speech, while India says its government is not involved in organising the private event.
At a glance:
- Hasina fled Bangladesh for India on August 5, 2024, after protests toppled her government.
- Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal sentenced her to death in absentia in November 2025.
- India says Dhaka’s extradition request remains under examination through legal procedures.
- Hasina has indicated that she and senior Awami League figures plan to return in December 2026.
Why Hasina is speaking now
The address is scheduled for the second anniversary of the fall of Hasina’s 17-year Awami League government. She fled to India by helicopter on August 5, 2024, after a crackdown during a student-led uprising over government-job quotas left large numbers of people dead and injured. A caretaker administration later took charge in Dhaka.
Related coverage: Youth-driven Cockroach movement demands freedom for students detained during protests in India.
Hasina is expected to use the appearance to outline her political future. In July 2026, she said she and other Awami League leaders planned to return to Bangladesh in December and present themselves in court, despite acknowledging that she could be arrested, imprisoned or killed. The planned return remains a stated intention, not a confirmed travel arrangement.
The legal and political stakes
Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal convicted Hasina in absentia in November 2025 over crimes against humanity linked to the suppression of the 2024 protests. The published judgment said she bore superior command responsibility and imposed a death sentence for charges involving the use of lethal force against demonstrators. Hasina has rejected the verdict as legally void.
Her party was barred from participating in Bangladesh’s 2026 elections, which were won by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party led by Tarique Rahman. A public declaration of return could therefore serve both as a response to the charges and as an effort to give direction to Awami League supporters, although the party’s future remains uncertain.
More context: Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan Resigns After Weeks of Student Protests.
Why India’s position matters
Bangladesh has repeatedly asked India to return Hasina. India’s External Affairs Ministry says it has received the request and is examining it under applicable law and judicial procedures. That means Wednesday’s speech does not itself change her legal status in India or guarantee that she will be allowed to travel back to Bangladesh.
The event has nevertheless created a diplomatic dispute. Dhaka has objected to political activity by a fugitive being conducted from Indian territory, while Indian spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the programme was organised by a private media entity and that the government neither participated in it nor endorsed any views expressed there. Bangladesh’s ban applies to local broadcasters, not to every possible online or overseas transmission.
Questions readers ask
Has Sheikh Hasina returned to Bangladesh?
No. As of August 5, 2026, she remains in India. Her planned December return is a declaration of intent, and no confirmed return date or travel arrangement has been announced.
Why is Bangladesh seeking her extradition?
Bangladesh wants Hasina returned to face the consequences of the International Crimes Tribunal’s in-absentia conviction and death sentence over crimes against humanity linked to the 2024 crackdown.
Will Bangladeshis be able to watch the speech on television?
Bangladeshi authorities have banned local media from airing the address. The restriction does not necessarily prevent distribution through online platforms or media organisations outside Bangladesh.
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