Bangladesh's ousted leader Sheikh Hasina addressed the media a day after she won the 12th parliamentary elections in Dhaka on January 8, 2024. [AFP]
Her voice is that of a frail, elderly woman, but ousted Bangladesh leader Sheikh Hasina still has the power to incite from exile, vowing to return home despite facing the gallows.
Analysts say her defiance is not a death wish, but a desperate bid to remain politically relevant, claw on to her supporters, and revive an outlawed party which once dominated Bangladesh.
To her enemies, Hasina is evil incarnate -- a convicted fugitive sentenced to hang for crimes against humanity over her failed bid to crush the 2024 revolution that toppled her.
The 78-year-old told AFP in July from India that she wanted to return to Bangladesh by the year's end.
"I may be killed. I may be arrested. I may be sent to prison," Hasina wrote, in an email sent from hiding.
"I am fully aware of my fate. Still, I want to go back because my people are calling me."