DHAKA — Bangladesh has again written to India seeking the return of Sheikh Hasina and Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, who were sentenced to death for crimes against humanity committed during the July uprising, Foreign Affairs Adviser Md. Touhid Hossain said. He told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday evening that the letter was sent Friday, November 21, from the Bangladesh High Commission in Delhi to India’s Ministry of External Affairs.
The government had previously written to India seeking the return of Sheikh Hasina, who has taken shelter there. On that earlier letter, Touhid said, no reply has yet been received. “But the situation is different now. They have been sentenced. We also have an agreement with India. We have now officially written again to bring her back,” he said.
Sheikh Hasina and Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal fled to India after being ousted in the student-led uprising in July last year. They were charged in July with crimes against humanity. The International Crimes Tribunal sentenced both to death on November 17. Dhaka called on Delhi to hand them over immediately after the verdict.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that any second country offering refuge to individuals convicted of crimes against humanity would constitute an extremely unfriendly act and a disregard for justice. “We call on the Indian government to hand over these two convicted individuals to the Bangladesh authorities without delay,” the statement said.
The statement added that under the extradition treaty in force between Bangladesh and India, handing over convicted persons to the Bangladesh authorities is a binding obligation for India.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report