Bangladesh has rejected former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s request for new travel documents as she says she intends to return from India in December, raising questions over her death sentence, extradition and the risks surrounding any homecoming.
Hasina fled to India in August 2024 after a student-led uprising ended her rule.
She was sentenced to death in absentia in November 2025 for crimes against humanity over the crackdown on protesters, in which the United Nations estimates up to 1,400 people were killed.
She denies the charges.
Hasina’s lawyers requested a new passport and national identity document from the Bangladesh mission in New Delhi on November 9 after her previous documents were revoked.
Bangladeshi officials rejected the request and said the formal route for her return would be extradition under the country’s treaty with India.
Chief Prosecutor Md Aminul Islam said Hasina had exhausted her legal options after failing to appeal within 30 days of the verdict and would face execution if she returned.
The Awami League says she will return in December even without the documents, though neither Hasina nor the party has explained how.
Analysts cited in the reports questioned whether the proposed return is genuine, suggesting it may instead be aimed at keeping Hasina politically relevant and energizing supporters.
Hasina’s stay in India has strained relations between New Delhi and Dhaka, which has repeatedly sought her extradition.
India said in April that it was examining Bangladesh’s request while seeking constructive engagement with the new government.
According to analysts cited by Al Jazeera, India is unlikely to abandon Hasina but may also be reluctant to facilitate a return that could intensify political tensions in Bangladesh.
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party government has little incentive to reach an accommodation with the Awami League, according to analysts cited in the reports.
A return by Hasina could rally supporters, provoke unrest and force the government to confront how to handle a former prime minister under a death sentence.