Web desk: Bangladesh has asked India to hand over Sheikh Hasina Wajid, the ex-prime minister of Bangladesh.
Bangladesh’s foreign ministry has formally asked India to hand over former prime minister and “fugitive accused” Sheikh Hasina, following the special tribunal’s decision to sentence the Awami League leader to death.
Hasina, who was ousted last year, was sentenced in absentia on Monday for “crimes against humanity” linked to the widespread anti-government protests in July 2024.
In its letter, the ministry referred to the existing extradition agreement between the two countries and said it was India’s “obligatory responsibility” to facilitate her return to Bangladesh.
“Providing refuge to these individuals, who have been convicted of crimes against humanity, by any other country would be a highly unfriendly act and a disregard for justice,” the letter read, reports Indian media.
Sheikh Hasina Wajid Sentenced to Death
A Bangladesh court on Monday sentenced ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina to death. This decision wrapped up a months-long trial that found her guilty of ordering a deadly crackdown on a student-led uprising last year.
Her party, the Awami League, has already been barred from contesting elections, and the verdict has raised fears of renewed unrest ahead of the upcoming vote.
The International Crimes Tribunal in Dhaka announced the judgment under heavy security, with Hasina absent after fleeing to India in August 2024.
The court handed her a life sentence for crimes against humanity and a death sentence for the killings that took place during the protests.
The ruling drew cheers and applause in the courtroom. Hasina can still appeal to the Supreme Court.
However, her son and adviser, Sajeeb Wazed, told Reuters before the verdict that they would not appeal unless a democratically elected government, one that includes the Awami League, is in place.
Prosecutors said they had evidence showing she directly ordered security forces to use lethal force to crush the student protests in July and August 2024.
A UN report estimated that up to 1,400 people were killed and thousands injured, mostly by gunfire from security forces, making it the worst violence in Bangladesh since the 1971 independence war.
Hasina was defended by a state-appointed lawyer who argued the charges were baseless and urged the court to acquit her.
Before the ruling, Hasina rejected the accusations and called the trial unfair, saying the outcome was “a foregone conclusion.”
Security has been tightened across the country following the verdict.
