Bangladesh has delivered its harshest-ever judgment against a former leader, sentencing former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to death for crimes against humanity during 2024 students' protests. But the ruling lands with one major complication: Hasina isn’t in Bangladesh. She has been living safely in India for over a year, out of reach of the tribunal that condemned her.
With Dhaka demanding her extradition and India staying silent, the question now hangs sharply in the air: what next for Sheikh Hasina?
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BANGLADESH'S EXTRADITION REQUEST
In December 2024, Bangladesh submitted a formal request to India to extradite Hasina, who fled to New Delhi as student-led protests ended her 15 years in power. The request came two weeks after India’s foreign secretary visited Bangladesh and the two countries said they hoped to clear the clouds and pursue constructive relations.
The head of Bangladesh’s interim government, the Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, who took charge on August 8, demanded that India send Hasina back so that Bangladesh can try her for crimes against protesters and her opponents, and crimes she is accused of committing during her tenure over the past 15 years.
“We sent a note verbale to the Indian government saying that the Bangladesh government w
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