Ex-PM Hasina seeks new passport to return to Bangladesh and surrender to court

Ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has requested a new passport and identity card, according to a letter seen by Reuters. The letter, addressed to Preeti Rahman, the acting high commissioner at Bangladesh's embassy in Delhi, marks Hasina's first official communication since fleeing the country in 2024. Hasina's lawyers at London-based Matrix Chambers wrote to Rahman, requesting the expedited processing of the new documents as per international human rights obligations.

The letter comes as Hasina plans to return to Bangladesh in December to surrender to a court. Bangladesh's war-crimes court sentenced her to death in November last year for ordering a deadly crackdown on a student-led uprising, a charge she denies. The request for a new passport and NID comes after her existing Bangladeshi documents were reportedly revoked by the interim government.

Hasina's Awami League party, once the country's largest, was banned following her fall from power, leading many of her party members to flee to India or other countries in exile. If she returns as planned, it could lead to increased political tensions and potentially improve relations between Bangladesh and India, which have been strained since Hasina sought refuge in New Delhi.