Bangladesh challenges ousted PM Hasina over return pledge

Hasina, whose 15-year rule was ended by a mass uprising she tried to crush, has vowed to return in December to Bangladesh, where she was sentenced to death for crimes against humanity over the 2024 crackdown on protesters.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina speaks as she is sworn in for a fifth term at the Presidential Palace in Dhaka on Jan 11, 2024. (File photo: AFP/Munir Uz Zaman)

DHAKA: Bangladesh on Monday (Nov 9) challenged ousted leader Sheikh Hasina to seek extradition from India if she was serious about returning home, while reviewing an application to renew her passport.

Hasina, whose 15-year rule was ended by a mass uprising she tried to crush, has vowed to return in December to Bangladesh, where she was sentenced to death for crimes against humanity over the 2024 crackdown on protesters.

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed told reporters on Monday that authorities were looking into Hasina's request for a new passport, adding that she was a convicted offender who had taken refuge abroad.

"The legal basis of the application, whether it followed due process, and whether there is a right to apply for a passport - all those matters are being reviewed," he said.

CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less "We had already sent a letter to that country (India) seeking her extradition through due process," he added.

Hasina has said several times she intends to return, telling AFP in an email that she was "fully aware" she faced being hanged.

Hasina's British lawyers have requested to renew her documents after the "reported revocation" of her passport.

A letter by law firm Matrix Chambers, addressed to Bangladesh's high commission in New Delhi and seen by AFP, requested her passport renewal - but made no mention of when, or where, she planned to travel.

Md Aminul Islam, chief prosecutor of the court that sentenced Hasina to death in November 2025, dismissed the application as "nothing but political stunt".

Humaiun Kobir, Bangladesh's junior foreign minister, said she should simply surrender herself to face justice.