Sheikh Hasina, the ousted former prime minister of Bangladesh, vowed on August 5, 2026, to return from exile even as she faces a death sentence following a conviction for crimes against humanity.
The speech came exactly two years after Hasina was forced from power. She fled Bangladesh by helicopter after nearly two months of protests in 2024, which the United Nations said resulted in close to 1,400 deaths.
BBC News reported that Hasina, who is 78, was convicted in connection with a deadly crackdown on that uprising. NPR said the death sentence stems from that conviction.
Despite the sentence, Hasina pledged to come back to Bangladesh.