Hasina applies for passport to return to Bangladesh
The former prime minister wants to return from India despite having been sentenced to death in absentia.
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The exiled former prime minister Sheikh Hasina asked Bangladesh on Monday for a new passport and identity card. She wants to make her return from India possible, while she has been sentenced to death in absentia in Bangladesh.
Hasina made the request in a letter from her lawyers to Bangladesh’s acting high commissioner in New Delhi, Reuters reports, citing the letter. According to her lawyers, her existing passport and national identity card were revoked by the interim government and other authorities.
The application is a new development in the protracted dispute over Hasina’s return. She fled to India in August 2024 after a mass uprising brought an end to her long premiership. She has been living in exile there ever since. In early November, Hasina told the AP news agency that she wanted to return to Bangladesh in December.
Bangladesh has previously indicated another route. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir said on 5 November that Dhaka did not want to issue Hasina a passport or travel document. According to him, her return must proceed through the extradition treaty between Bangladesh and India. The passport application therefore directly contradicts the position of the current government.
A special tribunal in Bangladesh sentenced Hasina to death in absentia in November 2025 for crimes against humanity. According to the ruling, she was responsible for ordering a crackdown on the student-led uprising. Human Rights Watch acknowledged that the tribunal had issued the conviction, but also warned of a long history of politically motivated cases and inadequate legal safeguards at the tribunal.
Hasina denies the allegations from her exile. Her return would therefore become not only a legal but also a political confrontation. She still has support among parts of the population, while the government in Dhaka is trying to restore political order after years of unrest.
The application does not mean that Hasina will be given permission to travel. Bangladesh can reject the request and insist on extradition; India would then have to decide how to handle a possible request from Dhaka for her transfer. It is not currently known whether the embassy will provide the requested documents or how New Delhi will respond to the latest step.
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One story, several perspectives
What is established
- Sheikh Hasina requested a new passport and identity card on 9 November.
- Bangladesh previously said it did not want to issue her a travel document and wanted to arrange her return through an extradition treaty with India.
- A Bangladeshi tribunal sentenced Hasina to death in absentia in 2025; she denies the allegations.
- It is not yet known whether the application will be approved.
Left
Arguments The emphasis is on rule-of-law safeguards, a fair trial and the risk that a death sentence against a political opponent is used to entrench political exclusion.
Values Human rights, democratic participation and judicial independence.
Consequences A forced return without a new trial could deepen political repression and further isolate Bangladesh.
Centre
Arguments The return should be assessed under the extradition treaty and verifiable legal procedures, leaving room for both accountability and a fair trial.
Values Institutional stability, legal certainty and diplomatic predictability.
Consequences A transparent procedure could limit escalation between Bangladesh and India, but could take a long time if the two countries choose different legal routes.
Right
Arguments Anyone held responsible as a head of government for deadly state violence must answer before the national courts; under this approach, a passport must not become an escape route.
Values Public order, national sovereignty and accountability for acts of government.
Consequences Extradition could strengthen confidence in the new government, but a politically coloured or flawed process could instead cause renewed unrest.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The article’s core is confirmed by AP and Reuters, including the date of the passport application. The legal background and Bangladesh’s earlier position were checked with BSS and Human Rights Watch.
- confirmed Sheikh Hasina requested a new passport and identity card on 9 November 2026. — AP and Reuters report the request; Reuters bases its report on the letter from her lawyers. source
- confirmed Hasina has been living in India since fleeing in 2024. — AP describes her exile in India since August 2024. source
- confirmed Bangladesh has said it does not want to issue Hasina a passport or travel document. — The state minister for foreign affairs said this on 5 November, according to BSS. source
- confirmed Bangladesh wants to arrange her return through the extradition treaty with India. — This appears in a statement by State Minister Humaiun Kobir. source
- confirmed Hasina was sentenced to death in absentia in November 2025 for crimes against humanity. — Human Rights Watch describes the ruling by the International Crimes Tribunal. source
- confirmed Human Rights Watch warned of inadequate legal safeguards and politically motivated prosecutions at the tribunal. — This is Human Rights Watch’s assessment in the analysis cited. source
- confirmed It is not known whether the application will be approved or how India will respond. — AP and Reuters report no decision by the embassy or India on the new application. source
Editor's note
It is certain that Hasina requested a new passport and identity card on 9 November and that Bangladesh previously said it did not want to issue a travel document. It remains uncertain whether the application will be approved and how India will respond to any extradition issue.Sources
- Bangladesh’s ousted leader Sheikh Hasina appeals for a new passport to return from exile — AP
- Hasina seeks new passport in clearest sign of Bangladesh return — Reuters via Internazionale
- No travel pass for Hasina, extradition only: Humaiun — Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha
- Bangladesh: Hasina Found Guilty of Crimes Against Humanity — Human Rights Watch
More on this in Dutch media
- de Volkskrant — „bangladesh sheikh hasina”
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