India has received a formal request from Bangladesh to extradite former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has been sentenced to death. The Bangladeshi Ministry of External Affairs has invoked the extradition treaty between the two countries, stressing India’s “binding duty” to return the “fugitive accused.” The ministry cautioned that providing sanctuary to individuals convicted of severe crimes would constitute an “extremely unfriendly act and an affront to justice.”
A Dhaka court, the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), recently sentenced Sheikh Hasina and former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal to death for crimes against humanity related to the July-August 2024 events. The court determined that Hasina was responsible for ordering the crackdown on a student protest. Her assets in Bangladesh are subject to seizure. A former police chief received a lesser sentence of five years.
Sheikh Hasina has vehemently rejected the ICT ruling, calling the death sentence a manifestation of the “murderous intent” harbored by extremist elements within the current government. She maintains the tribunal is “rigged” and politically motivated, aimed at neutralizing her and the Awami League. Hasina also defended her government’s human rights record, highlighting its positive contributions, such as providing refuge to the Rohingya and fostering economic prosperity, while dismissing the tribunal’s accusations as baseless and politically charged.