Dhaka : Bangladesh on Monday formally asked India to immediately extradite former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, saying New Delhi is obligated to do so under the bilateral extradition treaty. According to Dhaka, Hasina fled the country during the unrest and has been staying in India since. In a press statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the verdict had found the former leader “guilty of crimes against humanity” linked to the July killings.
The Government of India must immediately hand over these two convicted individuals to the Bangladesh authorities, the ministry said, calling extradition a mandatory duty under the existing treaty. Officials said Bangladesh expected India to respect its legal commitments, given the gravity of the charges and the tribunal’s findings. The ICT also handed a death sentence to former interior minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, who was tried in absentia in the same case. Dhaka said Kamal, like Hasina, must be repatriated without delay to face the punishment imposed by the tribunal.
“It would be a grave act of unfriendly behaviour and a travesty of justice for any other country to grant asylum to these individuals convicted of crimes against humanity. We call on the Indian government to immediately hand over these two convicted individuals to the Bangladeshi authorities. This is also an obligation for India under the existing extradition treaty between the two countries,” it further read.
An Extradition Treaty between India and Bangladesh was signed on 28 January 2013 during the visit of the Minister of Home Affairs to Bangladesh. The Extradition Treaty was signed to promote cooperation among law enforcement agencies of the two countries and help to curb criminal activities.
The Ministry of External Affairs said, “India has noted the verdict announced by the International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh” concerning former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. As a close neighbour, India remains commited to the best interests of the people of Bangladesh, including in peace, democracy, inclusion and stability in that country. We will always engage constructively with all stakeholders to that end, MEA noted.
This comes after a special tribunal sentenced ousted Hasina to death on charges of crimes against humanity for her crackdown on a student uprising last year that killed hundreds of people and led to the toppling of her 15-year rule. The Dhaka-based International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) also sentenced former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan to death for his involvement in the use of deadly force against protesters.
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