DHAKA: Bangladesh on Monday formally demanded that India extradite ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, hours after a Dhaka tribunal sentenced her to death in absentia for crimes against humanity linked to last year’s deadly crackdown on a student-led uprising.
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Hasina, 78, fled to India after being removed from power during mass protests in August 2024 and has remained in hiding. Former interior minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, also sentenced to death, is likewise believed to be in India, Bangladeshi authorities said.
“We urge the government of India to immediately extradite the two convicts,” the foreign ministry said, calling it India’s “obligatory responsibility” and warning that granting asylum would be “unfriendly” and an affront to justice.
India’s foreign ministry said it had “noted the verdict” and reiterated support for peace, democracy and stability in Bangladesh, but did not directly address the extradition request.
The tribunal found Hasina and Kamal responsible for ordering the use of lethal force during the July–August 2024 protests, which a UN report said may have left up to 1,400 people dead and thousands injured, mostly by security forces. Hasina rejected the charges, calling the proceedings politically motivated, and said the outcome was “a foregone conclusion.”
Interim leader Muhammad Yunus welcomed the judgment as “historic” and urged the public to maintain calm. Security was tightened across major cities following a wave of crude bomb blasts and arson attacks in recent days, though no casualties were reported.
Hasina’s son and adviser, Sajeeb Wazed, told Reuters they would not appeal unless a democratically elected government takes office with the Awami League’s participation. Hasina, represented in court by a state-appointed lawyer, said she had been denied adequate notice and the chance to mount a proper defence.
Bangladesh, governed by Yunus’s interim administration since Hasina’s ouster, remains uneasy ahead of elections expected in February, with the former ruling party warning of growing anger among its supporters.
