Dhaka, Nov 18: Bangladesh on Monday urged India to hand over former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, hours after she was sentenced to death for crimes against humanity.
The 78-year-old Sheikh Hasina fled to India after being ousted in a mass uprising in August 2024 and has been living in Delhi ever since. This has soured relations between the two neighbours.
On Monday, a Dhaka court sentenced Hasina and former Interior Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal to death in their absence.
Sheikh Hasina and Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal were found guilty of crimes against humanity in the deadly crackdown on a student-led uprising last year.
There is no information about the whereabouts of former minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal. But Bangladesh says he is in India.
"We urge the Indian government to immediately hand over the two criminals to Bangladesh authorities," the foreign ministry in Dhaka said in a statement, adding that it was "India's binding responsibility."
"Giving shelter to these criminals ... is extremely unfriendly and an affront to justice," Bangladesh warned.
Bangladesh PM Sheik Hasina; "I am not worried.. Allah gives life.. He takes it": Sheikh Hasina before the court verdict!
When Bangladesh asked Hasina to appear for trial last year, India said it had received an extradition request from Bangladesh. But at the time, it said it would not comment further.
Hasina's 15-year rule has seen widespread human rights violations, including mass arrests and extrajudicial killings of her political opponents.
Yunus welcomes death sentence
Bangladesh's interim leader Muhammad Yunus has welcomed the death sentence handed down to former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
"The death sentence to Sheikh Hasina and Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal in a crime against humanity case is a historic verdict," the Nobel Peace Prize laureate said in a statement.