Dhaka: Bangladesh’s interim government on Monday urged India to immediately extradite deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, hours after a special tribunal sentenced them to death in absentia for “crimes against humanity”.
“We urge the Indian government to immediately hand over these two convicted individuals to the Bangladeshi authorities,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement, according to the state-run BSS news agency.
It said the existing bilateral extradition agreement between Bangladesh and India marks the transfer of the two convicts as a compulsory responsibility for New Delhi.
The ministry also said that granting shelter to individuals convicted of crimes against humanity would be considered an “unfriendly” act and a disregard for justice.
The International Crimes Tribunal-Bangladesh (ICT-BD) on Monday sentenced Hasina and Kamal to death in absentia for “crimes against humanity” during last year’s student uprising.
Hasina has been living in India since she fled Bangladesh on August 5 last year in the face of the massive protests. She was earlier declared a fugitive by the court. Khan is also believed to be in India.
In December last year, Bangladesh sent India a note verbale, requesting Hasina’s extradition. India confirmed receipt of the formal diplomatic note but did not comment further.
The foreign ministry’s statement said that handing over the two is “a mandatory obligation for India” as per the extradition treaty between the two countries.
Separately, Legal Adviser Asif Nazrul said that the interim government will write a letter to India again to extradite Hasina.
“If India continues to shelter this mass murderer, then India must understand that it is an act of hostility…,” Nazrul was quoted as saying by the Bangla-language daily Prothom Alo.
Nazrul described the death sentence to Hasina as the “greatest event of establishing justice on the soil of Bangladesh.”
“I am not surprised (by the verdict). Given the fresh, irrefutable and strong evidence of crimes against humanity committed by Hasina and her associates, they should be given the maximum punishment if tried in any court in the world,” he said.
Former premier Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party criticised India for giving shelter to “fugitive” Hasina.
“India has given shelter to a fugitive criminal. But the country is giving her the chance to do sabotage against Bangladesh, and this is not a lawful behaviour from India. This is very unfortunate,” BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi was quoted as saying by the Daily Star newspaper.
Speaking at a press conference, the BNP leader said a country like India, which upholds democracy and has an independent judiciary, should not allow Hasina the space to engage in wrongful activities.
Right-wing Jamaat-e-Islami also urged India to extradite Hasina.
“If one claims to behave as a good neighbour, if one aspires to maintain friendly relations, this is their foremost responsibility,” Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar said, referring to Hasina’s extradition.
“We demand that she be returned to Bangladesh,” he added.
National Citizen Party (NCP) Member-Secretary Akhter Hossain said the death sentence given to Hasina represents “appropriate justice”.
He urged both the Bangladesh government to swiftly enforce the verdict and the Indian government to return her to Dhaka.
“We call upon the Government of India not to give refuge to Sheikh Hasina. She carried out genocide against the people of Bangladesh and committed crimes against humanity. India must hand her over to Bangladesh’s justice system,” he said in a video message.
