Bangladesh’s foreign ministry has written to India, asking it to return former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The ministry called her a “fugitive accused” and cited the death sentence handed down by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT-BD).

The ministry referred to an extradition agreement with India. It said New Delhi has an “obligatory responsibility” to ensure Hasina’s return.

“Providing refuge to these individuals, who have been convicted of crimes against humanity, by any other country would be a highly unfriendly act and a disregard for justice,” the ministry said.

The letter followed ICT-BD’s ruling earlier on Monday. The tribunal found Hasina and former Interior Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal guilty on multiple counts for a deadly crackdown on students last year. Former Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun was also found guilty of “crimes against humanity.”

Hasina in Exile in India

Hasina left Bangladesh after a mass student uprising toppled her government in August last year. Protests had rocked the country in July, forcing her ouster.

Since then, she has lived in India. Her son, Sajeeb Wazed, said she stays in a secret safe house in Delhi with full Indian security.

“I must add that I am deeply grateful to the Indian people for providing me with a safe haven this past year,” Hasina wrote in a statement emailed to HT.

She had also defied court orders from Bangladesh to return for her trial. The trial investigated whether she ordered a deadly crackdown on the student uprising.

Hasina Denounces Tribunal

Hasina strongly rejected the charges and the death sentence. She called the tribunal a “rigged tribunal established and presided over by an unelected government with no democratic mandate.”

“They are biased and politically motivated. In their distasteful call for the death penalty, they reveal the brazen and murderous intent of extremist figures within the interim government to remove Bangladesh's last elected prime minister, and to nullify the Awami League as a political force,” she said in a lengthy statement.

Hasina was convicted on three counts: incitement, ordering killings, and failing to prevent atrocities during the student crackdown.

Verdict Comes Ahead of Elections

The tribunal issued its ruling just months before Bangladesh plans its first election since Hasina’s ouster in February 2026.