Will take steps to extradite Hasina from India: Bangladesh prosecutor

Bangladesh will take necessary steps to extradite deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina from India to try her on charges of mass killings during the student-led mass movement against her government, the newly-appointed chief prosecutor of the country's International Crimes Tribunal said on Sunday (September 8).

Following unprecedented anti-government protests that peaked on August 5, Hasina resigned as prime minister and fled to India.

“Necessary steps will be taken to bring former prime minister Hasina back under the extradition treaty with India to try her on charges of mass killings during the student-led protests in July and August,” International Crimes Tribunal Chief Prosecutor Md Tajul Islam was quoted as saying by The Daily Star newspaper.

"We will file an application with the International Crimes Tribunal, when it resumes functions, to issue arrest warrants against all the absconding accused including Sheikh Hasina in connection with the cases filed for mass killing and crimes against humanity," he said at a press briefing on the ICT premises in Dhaka.

Replying to a question, he said a decision would be taken after consulting with the government about amendments to the existing International Crimes Tribunal Act for holding trial of the new cases filed with IT.

‘Huge task to compile evidence’

"Information, documents, and evidence against the accused persons will have to be collected from across the country and those will have to be compiled, examined, and placed properly before the tribunal, which is very challenging and a huge task," Islam added.

According to the interim government's Health Adviser Nurjahan Begum, more than 1,000 people have been killed and hundreds injured during the protests against the Hasina-led government.

Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) last month launched an investigation against Hasina and nine others on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity that took place from July 15 to August 5 during the students’ mass movement.

Islam said the International Crimes Tribunal and its investigation team will have to be reconstituted by appointing new judges and investigators as previous judges, prosecution team, and investigation agency appointed by the previous government have stepped down after the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus was formed in the country following the fall of the Hasina-led government.

(With agency inputs)