DHAKA, Bangladesh: Bangladesh has again asked India to hand over former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was sentenced to death in absentia on Nov. 17 for ordering a crackdown on last year’s student-led uprising, a senior adviser said Sunday.
Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hossain told reporters in Dhaka that the government sent a formal request to New Delhi on Friday seeking the return of Hasina, 78, along with former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, who also received a death sentence, reports Anadolu.
The International Crimes Tribunal in Dhaka convicted Hasina on charges of crimes against humanity. She fled to India on Aug. 5, 2024, at the height of a mass uprising that the UN says resulted in more than 1,400 deaths.
Law Adviser Asif Nazrul said the interim government is also considering taking the case to the International Criminal Court to secure Hasina’s return.
Following the verdict, Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry said granting asylum to individuals convicted of crimes against humanity amounted to “a grave act of unfriendly behavior and a travesty of justice.”
Dhaka previously sought Hasina’s extradition in December, but India has not responded. Both countries have had a mutual extradition treaty in place since 2013.
Bangladesh will hold its next general elections in February 2026 — the first since the widespread unrest — while Hasina’s Awami League remains banned from all political activity.
