Dhaka urges Delhi to extradite Sheikh Hasina as obligation
Al Mamun Harun Ur Rashid :
Dhaka has called upon Delhi to immediately extradite fugitive convicted Sheikh Hasina who is now staying there after the fall of her 16-year authoritarian regime in a mass uprising last year.
The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), which Sheikh Hasina herself set up during her tenure to try the leaders of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami, on Monday sentenced her to death in absentia for committing crimes against humanity.
Before the verdict, the interim government sent note verbale in December last year through the Foreign Ministry to extradite Sheikh Hasina under the extradition treaty but India did not care about it so far.
Interestingly, Hasina herself signed the Extradition Treaty with India in 2013. Under the same treaty, she is now being sought to extradite as she is now the fugitive convict.
Soon after Monday’s verdict, the Foreign Ministry and the Law Ministry separately said that they would again sent letter to Delhi and seek the extradition of convicted Sheikh Hasina.
In a statement, Foreign Ministry said that the ICT found fugitive accused Sheikh Hasina and Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal guilty of the July killings and sentenced them accordingly. Both of them are now staying in India after the fall of previous government.
“If any second country offers shelter to individuals convicted of crimes against humanity, it would be an extremely unfriendly act and a blatant disregard for justice,” Foreign Ministry said.
“We call upon the Government of India to immediately hand over these two convicted individuals to the authorities of Bangladesh.
Under the existing extradition treaty between the two countries, this is also an obligation India is required to fulfil,” the ministry added.
In addition, Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hossain, while speaking to journalists at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital on Monday, said, “We will go through the official channel. We can handle it informally, and we will inform India.”
Regarding Hasina’s extradition, Law Adviser Dr Asif Nazrul stated that a letter would be sent again to India requesting the extradition of the deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was sentenced to death for crimes against humanity committed during the mass uprising.
Speaking to the media on Monday at his office in the Ministry of Law, he said, “We will write again to India for Sheikh Hasina’s extradition.
If India continues to shelter this mass murderer, then they must understand that it is an act of hostility against Bangladesh and its people, and a reprehensible behaviour.”
Meanwhile, commenting on the verdict, Indian Ministry of External Affairs said that India would remain committed to the best interests of the people of Bangladesh.
“India has noted the verdict announced by the “International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh” concerning former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
As a close neighbour, India remains committed to the best interests of the people of Bangladesh, including in peace, democracy, inclusion and stability in that country. We will always engage constructively with all stakeholders to that end,” it added.
Earlier, the ICT had sentenced Sheikh Hasina to death for two of five charges related to crimes against humanity committed during the mass uprising in July-August of the previous year, while for another charge, she received a life sentence.
According to Article 1 of the treaty, the Contracting States agree to extradite to each other, subject to the provisions of this Treaty, persons found in the territory of one of the Contracting States who have been proceeded against for or have been charged with or have been found guilty of, or are wanted for the enforcement of a judicially pronounced penalty for committing an extraditable offence, as described in Article 2, by the judicial authority of the other Contracting State.
However, Article 6 stated that extradition may be refused if the offence of which it is requested is an offence of a political character.
Article 8 mentions that extradition to be denied if there are concerns the charges were not made “in good faith” or if handing her over would be “unjust or oppressive.”
Expert said that her extradition would be easy because India has given Sheikh Hasina a political asylum.
“I don’t think her extradition would be easy. It is a political issue. India has given her political asylum,” Amena Mohsin, a former professor and chairperson of the Department of International Relations at the University of Dhaka, told the New Nation.
She further said, “The government of Bangladesh can follow the official procedure continuously to pressurise on India for her extradition.”