Bangladesh’s Ministry of External Affairs has formally requested India to extradite ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was recently handed a death sentence by a Dhaka court. In its communication to New Delhi, the ministry referenced the existing extradition treaty between the two nations and asserted that India has a “binding duty” under that agreement to ensure the return of the “fugitive accused.”
“Today's verdict by the International Crimes Tribunal has found absconding convicts Sheikh Hasina and Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal guilty of the heinous crimes and sentenced them to death. Providing shelter to these convicts, who have been sentenced for crimes against humanity, will be considered an extremely unfriendly act and an affront to justice by any country,” the letter from the foreign ministry of Bangladesh read.
“We call upon the government of India to immediately deport and hand over these two individuals to the Bangladeshi authorities. The extradition treaty existing between the two countries makes this an essential and binding duty for India,” it added.
Hasina awarded death sentence for 'crimes against humanity'
The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) on Monday sentenced Sheikh Hasina to death, holding her responsible for crimes against humanity linked to the July–August 2024 unrest in Bangladesh. The court concluded after a months-long trial that she had ordered a crackdown on a student-led uprising. In addition to the death sentence, the tribunal ordered the seizure of all her property within the country.
The verdict also gave former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal the death penalty for his involvement in the atrocities. Meanwhile, former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al‑Mamun was handed a five-year prison term for his part in the events.
Hasina reacts over ICT verdict
Bangladesh’s ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said the death penalty awarded to her reveals ‘murderous intent’ of extremist figures within the interim government. In her first reaction, Hasina rejected the International Crimes Tribunal’s verdict, hailing her government’s record in upholding human rights.
"The verdicts announced against me have been made by a rigged tribunal established and presided over by an unelected government with no democratic mandate. They are biased and politically motivated. In their distasteful call for the death penalty, they reveal the brazen and murderous intent of extremist figures within the interim government to remove Bangladesh’s last elected prime minister, and to nullify the Awami League as a political force," Hasina said in a statement.
"I reject the ICT’s other allegations of human rights abuses as equally unevidenced. I am very proud of my government’s record on human rights and development. We led Bangladesh to join the International Criminal Court in 2010, gave refuge to hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fleeing persecution in Myanmar, expanded access to electricity and education, and presided over a 450% GDP growth over 15 years, lifting millions out of poverty. These achievements are a matter of historical record. They are not the acts of a leadership unconcerned by human rights. And Dr Yunus and his vengeful cronies can claim no achievements that are remotely comparable," she added.
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