DHAKA – Bangladesh’s interim government has officially requested India’s help to extradite Sheikh Hasina, the former Prime Minister who is currently in exile. The interim government’s prosecutor, Mohammad Tajul Islam, announced that Hasina faces war crimes charges.
According to international news reports, Mohammad Tajul Islam, Chief Prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) of Bangladesh, stated that legal actions will be taken to return Hasina to face trial. The prosecutor has accused Hasina of being involved in the killings of opposition members and political opponents during her time in office.
It’s important to note that Bangladesh and India signed an extradition treaty in 2013 during Hasina’s government. The treaty includes a clause that allows for extradition to be denied if the crime is considered “political.”
The treaty and the ICT, which was established in 2010 under Hasina’s leadership, were both part of her administration’s efforts. The ICT has previously sentenced several Jamaat-e-Islami leaders to death for their roles in war crimes during Bangladesh’s 1971 independence war.
Hasina’s tenure ended on August 5 due to a student-led movement, which saw a violent crackdown resulting in the deaths of many young people. Hasina fled to India by helicopter and has been living there since.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus has also urged Hasina to remain silent while in exile until she can be returned to Bangladesh for trial.
Additionally, a United Nations fact-finding team is expected to arrive in Dhaka soon to investigate the war crimes allegations against Hasina.
