Sheikh Hasina will land in jail if she returns: Bangladesh minister
The Bangladesh government has stated that former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will face immediate imprisonment upon her return to the country. Hasina, currently in India, was previously sentenced to death in absentia for her role in the 2024 student-led protests.
Why it matters
This highlights ongoing political instability and legal tensions in Bangladesh following the collapse of the previous administration.
Deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina will be jailed if she returns to Bangladesh, a state minister said on Monday (July 13, 2026), amid reports that the banned Awami League leader is preparing to return to Dhaka by December.
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. She has been living in India since she fled Dhaka following the collapse of her government.
"If she surrenders, steps will be taken in accordance with the existing law. She will have to go to jail. The law will take its own course," State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam was quoted as saying by the state-run BSS news agency.
Ms. Shama said that the government would proceed strictly in accordance with the existing legal framework if Hasina surrenders.
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