Hasina seeks new passport in clearest sign of Bangladesh return

Ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina requested on Monday a new passport and identity card ‌so she can return from self-imposed exile in India, according to a letter seen by Reuters, her first such communication since fleeing in 2024. She has told Reuters she plans to return to surrender before a court, and her aides said on Monday the date would be announced once various formalities were completed.

Bangladesh’s war-crimes court sentenced her to death in November last year in her absence for ordering a deadly crackdown on the student-led uprising, though she has denied the charges from exile. The letter asked for the applications to be processed “expeditiously” on the basis of her Bangladeshi nationality and in accordance with “obligations arising under international human rights instruments”.

Rahman in Delhi and spokespeople for Prime ⁠Minister Tarique Rahman in Dhaka did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Hasina’s Awami League party was the country’s largest before it was banned following her fall.