Bangladesh asks India to return Sheikh Hasina after tribunal issues death sentence

Bangladesh’s foreign ministry has formally requested India to hand over former Prime Minister and “fugitive accused” Sheikh Hasina, hours after the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT-BD) sentenced the Awami League leader to death.

In an official letter, the ministry cited the extradition agreement between the two countries and said New Delhi had an “obligatory responsibility” to send Hasina back to face the verdict.
Follow live updates on the Sheikh Hasina tribunal verdict here.

“Providing refuge to individuals convicted of crimes against humanity would be a highly unfriendly act and a disregard for justice,” the letter stated, referring to the tribunal’s findings earlier in the day.

The ICT-BD also found former interior minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and former Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun guilty on multiple counts related to last year’s violent crackdown on student protesters.

Hasina’s exile in India

Sheikh Hasina was ousted in August last year after massive student-led protests toppled her government. Since then, she has remained in self-exile in India.

According to her son Sajeeb Wazed, the 78-year-old leader is staying at a secret safe house in Delhi under full Indian security. Hasina has previously expressed gratitude to India, telling HT via email, “I am deeply grateful to the Indian people for providing me with a safe haven this past year.”

She has ignored earlier court orders to return to Dhaka to stand trial on charges that she ordered a deadly crackdown on students—charges she has repeatedly denied.

Hasina slams ‘rigged’ tribunal

Reacting to the death sentence, Hasina issued a strong statement dismissing the verdict as politically motivated and passed by a “rigged tribunal established by an unelected government with no democratic mandate.”

She said the ruling exposed the “brazen and murderous intent” of extremist elements within the interim government to eliminate Bangladesh’s last elected prime minister and neutralise the Awami League as a political force.

The former PM was convicted on three counts: incitement, ordering killings, and failure to prevent atrocities during last July’s crackdown.

The tribunal’s ruling comes months ahead of Bangladesh’s next national election, scheduled for February 2026—its first since Hasina’s dramatic ouster.