Dhaka: The interim government in Bangladesh is preparing to seek Interpol's help to get ousted PM Sheikh Hasina and home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal extradited from India, days after the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Dhaka sentenced the duo to death for crimes against humanity.
Hasina and Kamal were sentenced to death in absentia for crimes against humanity during the July-August 2024 agitation. However, another suspect, former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, who turned approver and state witness, was spared the hangman's noose and handed a five-year prison term.
"Both the accused are absconding, and an application has already been submitted to Interpol, along with the Tribunal's arrest warrant, seeking issuance of a Red Notice. Now we will ask the organisation, through the foreign ministry, to issue a new Red Notice based on the conviction warrant instead of the arrest warrant," ICT prosecutor Gazi MH Tamim was quoted as saying by The Financial Express.
Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Adviser, Asif Nazrul, said Dhaka would formally write to New Delhi seeking the extradition of Sheikh Hasina and Kamal.
While India has not directly responded to Dhaka's requests, it offered a measured statement after the ICT handed the duo death sentences. New Delhi said it remains committed to the "best interests of the people of Bangladesh" and will "always engage constructively with all stakeholders".
'Revenge, not justice: Hasina's sonSajeeb Wazed Joy, son of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, condemned the death sentence handed down to his mother as a political vendetta rather than a legitimate judicial process. In an exclusive interview with India Today TV, Wazed argued that the trial was deeply flawed. “Everyone knew this sentence was pre-determined. The trials were rushed... finished within 100–140 days." Wazed also claimed that Hasina was not allowed to choose her own defence lawyers, and added that the sentencing is not about justice but revenge. |
