DHAKA: Ousted former Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina has vowed to return to Bangladesh this year despite being sentenced to death in absentia, dismissing the verdict as politically motivated and declaring she will overcome “every obstacle and every conspiracy.”

Speaking in an interview with Indian broadcaster NDTV, the 78-year-old leader said she was not deterred by the sentence handed down by a court in Dhaka and remained committed to returning home after fleeing to India following the student-led uprising that toppled her government in August 2024.

Sheikh Hasina rejected the court’s ruling, describing Bangladesh’s judiciary as an instrument of political revenge aimed at eliminating the leadership of the Awami League.

“I do not fear death,” she said, adding that previous attempts to dismantle her party had failed and would continue to fail.

The former premier said her planned return was driven by a commitment to restore political rights, democracy, the rule of law and the ideals of Bangladesh’s 1971 Liberation War, rather than personal ambition.

Defending the Awami League, Hasina described it as a political force deeply rooted in the country’s history, people and national identity.

She also urged the government led by Tarique Rahman to lift the ban on the Awami League, withdraw what she termed false cases against its leaders, release political prisoners and allow peaceful political activities.

Hasina was sentenced to death in November after being convicted of inciting and ordering killings and failing to prevent atrocities during the unrest that led to the end of her government.

The Bangladeshi government has maintained that the legal proceedings are intended to ensure accountability for alleged crimes committed during the final months of Hasina’s administration.