Bangladesh presses India to return Sheikh Hasina for trial

Bangladesh is urging India to return former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina so she can stand trial and serve her sentence in her home country. For many families who lost loved ones during the violent uprising of July and August 2024, Hasina’s continued presence in India feels like a lingering wound. Some relatives are still recovering from injuries, while others face the silence of empty homes. The question haunts these communities: why should those who paid the price for democracy watch the person they hold responsible for their suffering continue to shape political discourse from abroad?

The scale of the tragedy was highlighted by the UN Human Rights Office in February 2025. The agency estimated that up to 1,400 people may have been killed during the unrest, with thousands more injured. It identified systematic repression by the former government, security forces, and violent elements of the Awami League. The UN concluded that an official policy of violent suppression existed, warranting further investigation into potential crimes against humanity. While these findings were international facts rather than a criminal verdict, they set the stage for subsequent domestic legal proceedings.

In November 2025, Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal found Hasina guilty of crimes against humanity. The court determined that she instigated and abetted atrocities and ordered lethal force against protesters. She was also held responsible under the doctrine of superior command responsibility. Consequently, the tribunal sentenced her to death in absentia. Hasina has described the trial as politically motivated, but her denial does not diminish the victims’ right to justice. Despite Bangladesh’s formal request for her extradition, she remains in India.

Under Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, the current government is working to repair a damaged economy and re-establish a political culture scarred by years of autocratic rule. However, Hasina’s supporters abroad continue to promote her potential political comeback on social media. These messages fuel uncertainty about the future of the democratic transition, particularly for families still waiting for accountability. The elected government and political organizations committed to this transition have a responsibility to defend it against destabilizing attempts.

Political scientist C Christine Fair of Georgetown University noted in an interview with Prothom Alo that Hasina had been useful to India and that New Delhi was unlikely to hand her over. While India’s decision to shelter Hasina is one issue, allowing her to intervene in Bangladeshi politics from Indian territory is another. In January 2026, the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry accused Hasina of inciting violence ahead of forthcoming elections after she addressed a public event in New Delhi.

Fair questioned why New Delhi appeared unwilling to restrain Hasina when it had previously persuaded other foreign political figures, such as the Dalai Lama and Aung San Suu Kyi, to exercise restraint. She suggested that India’s domestic politics explained the difference. From Bangladesh’s perspective, this raises questions about how much weight New Delhi gives to its neighbor’s concerns when they conflict with its own political calculations.

Bangladesh argues that its extradition request must be assessed on legal merits. A person’s political status does not automatically prevent extradition. Article 6 of the India-Bangladesh extradition treaty specifically excludes murder, incitement to murder, and related offenses from the political offense exception. Other grounds and safeguards for refusal remain applicable, but the legal framework supports Dhaka’s position.

Through sustained diplomatic engagement, the government of Bangladesh should make clear that it wants constructive relations with India based on sovereign equality. It expects a serious response to its extradition request and asks New Delhi to ensure its territory is not used to incite violence in Bangladesh. Specific incidents should be documented, and peaceful political expression should be clearly distinguished from calls for violence.

If India is serious about resetting its relationship with Bangladesh, it must respect the democratic mandate of that country and acknowledge the suffering of its people. Protecting a former leader from accountability will only increase mistrust. Sheikh Hasina must return to answer in person for the killings and abuses committed under her government. Her return must deliver justice to the victims and help restore the rule of law that Bangladesh is eager to re-establish.