'Mandatory duty under treaty': Bangladesh demands India hand over Sheikh Hasina
Hasina, who fled Dhaka during the student-led uprising in 2024, has been in India since August last year
- Nov 17, 2025,
- Updated Nov 17, 2025 5:57 PM IST
Bangladesh on Monday formally requested India to hand over deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, hours after a Dhaka tribunal sentenced her to death for crimes against humanity during last year's anti-government protests. The government said New Delhi was "obligated" to comply under the bilateral extradition treaty.
Hasina, who fled Dhaka during the student-led uprising in 2024, has been in India since August last year. In a statement, Bangladesh's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the verdict by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) had found her guilty of crimes against humanity, holding her responsible for ordering lethal force against demonstrators.
"The Government of India must immediately hand over these two convicted individuals to the Bangladesh authorities," the statement read, calling extradition a "mandatory duty" under the existing treaty. It warned that any country offering Hasina shelter would be committing "an extremely unfriendly act and a disregard for justice."
Alongside Hasina, former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal was also handed a death sentence in absentia. Both, Dhaka said, must be repatriated "without delay" to face the punishment imposed by the tribunal.
The tribunal's ruling has deepened tensions between the interim regime in Dhaka and New Delhi, which has so far refrained from taking a public position on Hasina's extradition.
Reacting to the judgment, India's Ministry of External Affairs said it had "noted" the verdict. "As a close neighbour, India remains committed to the best interests of the people of Bangladesh, including in peace, democracy, inclusion and stability," the statement said, adding that India would "engage constructively with all stakeholders" in Bangladesh.
The ministry did not directly respond to the extradition request, which Bangladesh insists is binding under the treaty signed between the two countries.
Bangladesh on Monday formally requested India to hand over deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, hours after a Dhaka tribunal sentenced her to death for crimes against humanity during last year's anti-government protests. The government said New Delhi was "obligated" to comply under the bilateral extradition treaty.
Hasina, who fled Dhaka during the student-led uprising in 2024, has been in India since August last year. In a statement, Bangladesh's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the verdict by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) had found her guilty of crimes against humanity, holding her responsible for ordering lethal force against demonstrators.
"The Government of India must immediately hand over these two convicted individuals to the Bangladesh authorities," the statement read, calling extradition a "mandatory duty" under the existing treaty. It warned that any country offering Hasina shelter would be committing "an extremely unfriendly act and a disregard for justice."
Alongside Hasina, former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal was also handed a death sentence in absentia. Both, Dhaka said, must be repatriated "without delay" to face the punishment imposed by the tribunal.
The tribunal's ruling has deepened tensions between the interim regime in Dhaka and New Delhi, which has so far refrained from taking a public position on Hasina's extradition.
Reacting to the judgment, India's Ministry of External Affairs said it had "noted" the verdict. "As a close neighbour, India remains committed to the best interests of the people of Bangladesh, including in peace, democracy, inclusion and stability," the statement said, adding that India would "engage constructively with all stakeholders" in Bangladesh.
The ministry did not directly respond to the extradition request, which Bangladesh insists is binding under the treaty signed between the two countries.