Dhaka sends another letter to Delhi on Hasina's extradition: Touhid

Bangladesh's interim government has dispatched a formal diplomatic request to India, urging the swift return of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal to face execution following their death sentences for crimes against humanity.

Foreign Affairs Adviser Md. Touhid Hossain confirmed the development during a press briefing at his office on Sunday. 

He revealed that the official letter was transmitted to New Delhi on Friday, November 21, explicitly calling for the handover of the two convicted individuals.

The demands stem from a landmark ruling by Bangladesh's reconstituted International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), which on November 17 convicted Hasina and Kamal in absentia for their roles in the brutal suppression of the July 2024 student-led uprising. 

The tribunal attributed the violence—marked by indiscriminate killings and widespread atrocities—to Hasina's "superior command responsibility" as the nation's leader at the time. 

In a separate but related ruling, former Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, who testified against the accused, received a five-year prison term.

The 453-page verdict, structured in six detailed sections and broadcast live from the tribunal, underscored the severity of the offenses: "We unanimously determine that true justice cannot prevail without imposing the maximum penalty on those responsible for the heinous, brutal, and indiscriminate slaughter of civilians during the July uprising."

Beyond the death sentences, the ICT mandated the seizure of all assets belonging to Hasina and Kamal within Bangladesh. 

Notably, Al-Mamun appeared in person for the proceedings, marking a contrast to his absent co-defendants.

Hasina, who dominated Bangladeshi politics for 15 uninterrupted years as prime minister, fled the country on August 5, 2024, amid massive student- and public-led protests that toppled her regime. 

Both she and Kamal have resided in India ever since, prompting Dhaka to invoke the bilateral extradition treaty as grounds for their repatriation. 

This conviction makes Hasina the first former head of state or government in Bangladesh to be found guilty of crimes against humanity.

The ruling builds on an earlier July 2 decision, where the tribunal handed Hasina a six-month jail term for contempt of court.