B’desh seeks Interpol’s help to repatriate Hasina from India

Dhaka/New Delhi: Bangladesh’s interim government announced on Sunday that it plans to seek Interpol’s help to extradite ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from India, along with other Bangladesh’s interim government announced on Sunday that it plans to seek Interpol’s help to extradite ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from India, along with other alleged “fugitives,” to stand trial for purported crimes against humanity.

Hasina and her party leaders are accused of orchestrating a violent crackdown on the Anti-Discrimination Students Movement, which led to numerous casualties during the July-August protests. The movement eventually escalated into a widespread uprising, prompting Hasina to flee to India on August 5 under the cover of secrecy.

According to the interim government led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, at least 753 people were killed and thousands injured during the protests, which it termed crimes against humanity and genocide. Over 60 complaints of crimes against humanity and genocide have been filed against Hasina and her party leaders with the ICT and the prosecution team till mid-October.

“A Red Notice will be issued through Interpol very soon. No matter where in the world these fugitive fascists are hiding, they will be brought back and held accountable in court,” Law Affairs adviser Asif Nazrul told reporters after inspecting the status of renovation at the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), which is housed in the Old High Court building on the Supreme Court premises. Officials said a Red Notice is not an international arrest warrant, but rather a global request for law enforcement agencies to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action.

Interpol member countries enforce Red Notices according to their own national laws.

The ICT was originally formed by the Hasina-led Awami League government in March 2010 to try the perpetrators of the crimes against humanity committed during the 1971 Liberation War. It later formed ICT-2, and at least six Jamaat-e-Islami and leaders of Hasina’s arch rival Khaleeda Zia’s BNP party were executed following the judgments of the two tribunals.

The tribunal remained dormant since mid-June after its chairman retired.

The interim government reconstituted the tribunal on October 12.

On October 17, the tribunal issued arrest warrants against Hasina and 45 others, including her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy and several of her former cabinet members.

The interim government had earlier said that Hasina and several of her cabinet colleagues and Awami League leaders would be tried in this special tribunal.

However, Chief Adviser Yunus in an interview with the UK-based Financial Times newspaper last month said his government would not immediately seek Hasina’s extradition from India, an approach seen as preventing diplomatic tensions between the two countries. with agency inputs