A protester reacts after the verdict in the cases against ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka, Bangladesh on November 17, 2025. | Photo credit: Reuters
Bangladesh on Monday (Nov 17, 2025) called on the Indian government to extradite former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal after both were sentenced to death last year for their role in the crackdown on a student uprising.
Dhaka said New Delhi was obliged to do so under the extradition treaty. Hasina, who fled after violent student protests last year, has been in India ever since.
The International Criminal Tribunal-1 (ICT-1) in Bangladesh on Monday (Nov 17, 2025) ordered the execution by hanging of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and former Interior Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal after finding them guilty of genocide committed between July and August 2024 in a case involving crimes against humanity.
Bangladesh’s fugitive former prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday (Nov 17, 2025) described the guilty verdict and death sentence in her crimes against humanity trial as “biased and politically motivated”.
Ms Hasina, 78, has defied court orders to return from India to attend a trial over whether she ordered the deadly crackdown on the student-led uprising that ousted her.
“The judgments announced against me were handed down by a rigged tribunal set up and presided over by an unelected government without a democratic mandate,” Ms Hasina said in a statement issued from a hideout in India.
“They are biased and politically motivated.”
Critics have accused her of imprisoning political rivals, passing tough anti-press laws and overseeing widespread human rights abuses, including the killing of opposition activists.
Government of India responds
The Ministry of External Affairs, in a statement issued on Monday (Nov 17, 2025), said the Government of India has taken note of the verdict announced by the International Criminal Tribunal for the crimes of Bangladesh against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The MEA said, “India remains committed to the best interests of the people of Bangladesh, including peace, democracy and stability.”
The MEA added that the Indian government “will always engage constructively with all stakeholders keeping in mind the best interests of the people of Bangladesh”.
Published – 17 Nov 2025 17:07 IST
