Sheikh Hasina vows to return to Bangladesh despite risk of arrest

Bangladesh's ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has announced that she plans to return from India to Bangladesh around December to surrender before the courts, 24NewsHD TV reported on Friday. 

In an hour-long telephone interview with Reuters, the 78-year-old former premier said she intended to return to her homeland even though she believed she could be arrested or killed upon arrival.

Sheikh Hasina said that she and senior leaders of the Awami League would present themselves before the courts despite the party being banned and its leadership facing legal proceedings in Bangladesh.

She claimed that Awami League leaders and workers were enduring severe pressure and hardship, but insisted that she was determined to return home.

"If death is destined for me, I want it to come on my own soil," she said, adding that Bangladesh is where her parents are buried and where they sacrificed their lives.

Sheikh Hasina has been living in India since being removed from power, while legal and political challenges against her and the Awami League continue in Bangladesh.