Sheikh Hasina seeks new passport ahead of possible Bangladesh return

Ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has requested a new passport and national identity card through her lawyers. According to the South China Morning Post and the New Straits Times, the request was made in a letter to Preeti Rahman, the acting high commissioner in New Delhi, following reports that her existing documents were revoked by the interim government. This marks her first formal communication since fleeing the country in 2024.

Hasina has indicated plans to return to Bangladesh in December to surrender before a court, with aides stating a specific date will be announced once formalities are completed. The South China Morning Post reports that she denies any wrongdoing and has challenged the legitimacy of a war-crimes court verdict that sentenced her to death in her absence last November. The court's decision followed a student-led uprising that the United Nations says killed nearly 1,400 people.

The former prime minister’s Awami League party was previously the country's largest political group but has since been banned, according to NDTV. Many of her party colleagues are currently in self-imposed exile in India or elsewhere, or have been jailed.

Brief written by urgent.news from Daily Times, NDTV, South China Morning Post, New Straits Times — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.