Sheikh Hasina Calls Verdict ‘Political’ As Bangladesh Seeks Her Immediate Extradition From India
The interim government in Dhaka, led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, has formally requested India to extradite Hasina and former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal under the existing treaty between the two nations, after the country’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT-BD) sentenced ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to death for crimes against humanity on Monday.
According to Reuters, New Delhi responded on Tuesday by assuring Bangladesh of “constructive engagement,” without committing to immediate action.
Hasina, who was tried in absentia, strongly rejected the tribunal’s verdict. Calling the trial “politically motivated,” she said the proceedings were run by a “rigged tribunal” under an “unelected government with no democratic mandate.”
Also, read| Bangladesh Asks India To Extradite Ousted PM Sheikh Hasina, Cites Existing Treaty Obligation
She added that she was not given a fair opportunity to defend herself. “I am ready to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where evidence can be tested fairly,” she said, as quoted by Reuters.
The ICT-BD also handed a death sentence to Kamal, while former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, who cooperated as a state witness, received a five-year prison term. The tribunal concluded a months-long trial with the finding that Hasina had ordered a deadly crackdown on last year’s massive student-led protests.
The student uprising of July–August 2024 was one of the most violent in Bangladesh’s history, with up to 1,400 deaths, most caused by gunfire from security forces, according to United Nations estimates. Hasina fled the country shortly after the protests intensified and has since been staying in New Delhi.
The verdict, unprecedented in Bangladesh’s political history, has sparked intense reactions at home and abroad.
