No Option But Execution: Bangladesh's Chilling Warning To Sheikh Hasina Ahead Of December Return

Bangladesh has warned former prime minister Sheikh Hasina that she has no legal option but to face her death sentence if she returns to the country, ruling out the possibility of issuing her a new passport or travel document. The warning comes as Hasina has expressed her intention to return from India in December, despite the threat of arrest and execution.

International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) Chief Prosecutor Md Aminul Islam said Bangladesh's laws did not permit the issuance of passports to individuals convicted of serious offences. Citing the Bangladesh Passport Order, 1973, he argued that restrictions applied particularly to those sentenced to at least two years in prison for offences involving moral turpitude, a category he said included crimes against humanity.

"If she genuinely wanted to return to Bangladesh, she would have come back while the trial was ongoing and faced the case," Islam told journalists. He added that Hasina had also missed the 30-day period after publication of the verdict to file an appeal. He questioned the reported passport request, saying it had not been submitted personally and that no publicly disclosed legal agreement existed with the London-based law chamber representing her.

Islam urged Hasina to submit a written request to the Indian government under the extradition treaty if she genuinely wanted to return. He had earlier dismissed the passport request as a political stunt. Bangladesh's information adviser Zahed Ur Rahman also clarified that the law firm had only sent a letter seeking arrangements for the document, not a formal application.

Meanwhile, six British politicians have urged Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband to secure legally enforceable assurances that Hasina would not face execution, torture, enforced disappearance or political violence. They have also demanded access to lawyers, independent judicial scrutiny, an examination of alleged interference in her trial and an inclusive political dialogue. The signatories include Conservative MP Bob Blackman and five other British politicians. Blackman said the initiative was not intended to grant Hasina immunity.

Hasina, 79, fled to India in August 2024 after a student-led uprising ended her Awami League's 15-year rule. She was sentenced to death in absentia in November 2025 over the deadly crackdown on protesters, which the UN estimated killed up to 1,400 people. She denies the charges and has challenged the trial's legitimacy.

Bangladesh's interim government revoked her passport and national identity document after her departure. The government has urged India to extradite her, while New Delhi says the request remains under examination through established legal procedures.

Hasina has said she wants to return voluntarily and face the courts, declaring that she would rather die in her homeland than remain in exile. Her possible return could reignite political tensions in Bangladesh, where her Awami League remains banned from electoral participation. The country is now governed by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, son of Hasina's longtime rival Khaleda Zia. Any public mobilisation around Hasina's return could trigger fresh unrest amid continuing economic pressures and fuel and power shortages.