The interim government of Bangladesh, led by chief adviser Muhammad Yunus , on Wednesday called on India to act with "conscience and moral clarity" over its handling of a formal request to extradite former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who is facing charges of crimes against humanity .
The statement follows a December 2024 note verbal, a formal diplomatic communication, sent by Dhaka to New Delhi, requesting Hasina’s extradition. While India acknowledged receiving the note, it has not commented further, prompting sharp criticism from Dhaka.
“For too long, India has refused to comply with Bangladesh’s lawful request for the extradition of Sheikh Hasina,” said Yunus’s press secretary, Shafiqul Alam, in a post on social media. He added that India’s position was “no longer tenable” and warned that “regional friendship, strategic considerations, or political legacy” could not justify “the deliberate murder of civilians.”
BBC report escalates pressure
The statement came a day after BBC Bangla published a report featuring a leaked phone call that allegedly captured Hasina ordering security forces to shoot student protesters during last year’s nationwide uprising.
Alam cited the BBC Eye Investigations unit’s findings, claiming they confirmed Hasina's direct role in “state-sanctioned murder.” He urged the international community to take note, especially as a “global institution like the BBC” had dedicated significant resources to investigating alleged abuses in Bangladesh.
Hasina faces tribunal, sentenced in contempt case
The International Crimes Tribunal-1 in Bangladesh is set to decide on July 10 whether charges will be formally framed against Hasina and two of her top aides. This follows a ruling last week in which the 77-year-old Awami League leader was sentenced to six months in prison in absentia in a contempt of court case.
The tribunal proceedings mark the first sentencing against Hasina since she left office in August last year, after her nearly 16-year rule ended with a mass uprising and her subsequent flight to India.
According to a UN human rights report, as many as 1,400 people were killed between July 15 and August 15, 2024, during a brutal security crackdown on demonstrators under Hasina’s government. Most of the Awami League leadership and key officials have either been arrested or are in hiding as the interim administration continues its sweeping crackdown.
India has so far not issued a public response to the latest appeal.
The statement follows a December 2024 note verbal, a formal diplomatic communication, sent by Dhaka to New Delhi, requesting Hasina’s extradition. While India acknowledged receiving the note, it has not commented further, prompting sharp criticism from Dhaka.
“For too long, India has refused to comply with Bangladesh’s lawful request for the extradition of Sheikh Hasina,” said Yunus’s press secretary, Shafiqul Alam, in a post on social media. He added that India’s position was “no longer tenable” and warned that “regional friendship, strategic considerations, or political legacy” could not justify “the deliberate murder of civilians.”
BBC report escalates pressure
The statement came a day after BBC Bangla published a report featuring a leaked phone call that allegedly captured Hasina ordering security forces to shoot student protesters during last year’s nationwide uprising.
Alam cited the BBC Eye Investigations unit’s findings, claiming they confirmed Hasina's direct role in “state-sanctioned murder.” He urged the international community to take note, especially as a “global institution like the BBC” had dedicated significant resources to investigating alleged abuses in Bangladesh.
Hasina faces tribunal, sentenced in contempt case
The International Crimes Tribunal-1 in Bangladesh is set to decide on July 10 whether charges will be formally framed against Hasina and two of her top aides. This follows a ruling last week in which the 77-year-old Awami League leader was sentenced to six months in prison in absentia in a contempt of court case.
The tribunal proceedings mark the first sentencing against Hasina since she left office in August last year, after her nearly 16-year rule ended with a mass uprising and her subsequent flight to India.
According to a UN human rights report, as many as 1,400 people were killed between July 15 and August 15, 2024, during a brutal security crackdown on demonstrators under Hasina’s government. Most of the Awami League leadership and key officials have either been arrested or are in hiding as the interim administration continues its sweeping crackdown.
India has so far not issued a public response to the latest appeal.
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