New Delhi: Muhammad Yunus-led interim government in Bangladesh has called for the extradition of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, hours after a special tribunal sentenced her to death on Monday. Former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan received the same sentence in a case linked to last year’s protests and the unrest that drove Hasina from office.
Hasina in India; Tribunal warns countries offering asylum
In a statement issued in Bangla, the foreign ministry of Bangladesh said any nation offering refuge to Hasina or Khan would be “in violation of international law”.
“The tribunal has urged all nations to cooperate in arresting these two individuals and handing them over to Bangladeshi authorities. The tribunal has also requested the United Nations to take necessary measures to ensure their extradition to Bangladesh,” the statement read.
Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT-BD) urged all nations to assist in detaining Hasina and Khan, and handing them over to Dhaka. It also asked the United Nations to take steps to support their extradition.
Hasina sought refuge and come to India on August 5, 2024, as violence escalated. She has remained here since. Asaduzzaman Khan is also believed to be living in India.
‘Politically driven’: Hasina rejects all charges
Reacting to the court’s ruling, Hasina dismissed the judgment as the work of a “rigged tribunal,” accusing the unelected interim government of lacking legitimacy.
“In their distasteful call for the death penalty, they reveal the brazen and murderous intent of extremist figures within the interim government to remove Bangladesh’s last elected Prime Minister, and to nullify the Awami League as a political force,” said Hasina in a statement.
Hasina’s Awami League had earlier slammed the ICT-BD, calling it a “kangaroo court” and claiming Yunus is fronting for extremist groups.
Earlier, Hasina had issued a statement saying that millions of Bangladeshis, who are “toiling under the chaotic, violent and socially regressive administration” of Mohammad Yunus, will “not be fooled”.
“They can see that the trials conducted by the so-called International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) were never intended to achieve justice or provide any genuine insight into the events of July and August 2025. Rather, their purpose was to scapegoat the Awami League and to distract the world’s attention from the failings of Dr Yunus and his ministers,” she said.
The tribunal found Hasina and Khan guilty on five counts: delivering speeches that incited violence; authorising the use of lethal weapons against protesters; the killing of Abu Sayeed, a student in Rangpur; the shooting of six people in Dhaka’s Chankharpul area; and the burning to death of six others in Ashulia.
According to the verdict, the killings were carried out “under the orders and full knowledge of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina”, amounting to crimes against humanity.
Dhaka presses New Delhi to act under bilateral extradition pact
Bangladesh’s interim government urged India on Monday to hand over Sheikh Hasina and former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, hours after both were sentenced to death in absentia for “crimes against humanity”. In a statement carried by state media, Dhaka said the bilateral extradition treaty made their transfer a binding obligation for New Delhi and asked India to immediately surrender the two “convicted individuals” to Bangladeshi authorities.
India “remains committed to the people of Bangladesh”
After Dhaka urged New Delhi to extradite Sheikh Hasina and Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said it had “noted” the ruling delivered by what it described as the so-called International Crimes Tribunal. MEA stressed that India remained committed to the “best interests of the people of Bangladesh”, pointing to its support for peace, democracy, inclusion and stability. It added that India would continue to engage constructively with all stakeholders in the neighbouring country.
“As a close neighbour, India remains committed 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,” read MEA’s statement.