Bangladesh Renews Sheikh Hasina Extradition Demand as Law Minister Calls Her a ‘Convicted Criminal’
Bangladesh has renewed its demand for India to hand over former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, with the country’s law minister calling her a “convicted criminal” and confirming that Dhaka has formally asked New Delhi for her extradition under the two countries’ treaty.
Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman spoke on Sunday, 8 November, after opening a training workshop in Dhaka. His words were the strongest yet from the new government in Dhaka about a case that has strained relations between the two neighbours for more than two years.
“To me, she is a criminal. A criminal convicted by our tribunal. To us, this is her identity,” Asaduzzaman said, according to a report on the bdnews24 news website.
Hasina has been living in India since she fled Bangladesh in August 2024, after a mass uprising ended her 15 years in power. In November 2025, a Bangladeshi tribunal convicted her of crimes against humanity and sentenced her to death on one charge and life imprisonment on another. India has acknowledged receiving Bangladesh’s extradition requests, but it has not announced any decision.
This article explains what Bangladesh is asking for, how the case began, what the extradition treaty actually says, and why India has still not answered.
What happened on Sunday
Asaduzzaman was answering questions from reporters after inaugurating a training workshop in Dhaka. He said the government was taking every legal step to bring Hasina back to Bangladesh and would follow due process.
“We have requested her repatriation under the treaty and through due process,” he said, according to the state-run BSS news agency.
He was clear that the Law Ministry itself is not handling the request. Because the matter falls under the extradition treaty with India, it is the Ministry of Home Affairs that is responsible for it.
“The matter will be dealt with in accordance with the law, leaving no room for emotions,” Asaduzzaman said.
One journalist pointed out that Hasina is not a prisoner in India but is treated as a state guest. The minister did not accept that as a reason to pause the request. He said how Indian authorities describe her does not change Dhaka’s position.
He added that what India does next is for the Indian government to decide. “If they hand her over to us, we will hand her over in the due process, as required under the law,” he said, according to bdnews24.
The message from Dhaka is simple: Bangladesh sees Hasina as a convicted criminal, it has made a formal request under the treaty, and it expects India to follow the legal process — however long that takes.
How the case began
To understand the extradition demand, it helps to go back to the summer of 2024.
Sheikh Hasina had ruled Bangladesh for 15 years. In July 2024, protests began as a student movement. The crackdown that followed became the subject of the case against her.
The protests grew into a mass uprising. On 5 August 2024, Hasina fled Bangladesh for India, and her rule came to an end. An interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus took charge.
In February 2026, Bangladesh held parliamentary elections, and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by Tarique Rahman, formed the government. It is this government that is now pressing the extradition case.
In November 2025, Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal convicted Hasina of crimes against humanity committed during the July–August 2024 uprising. The tribunal tried her in her absence, because she was already in India.
The tribunal sentenced her to death on one charge and life imprisonment on another. It also sentenced former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal to death. The verdict is what Dhaka now points to when it calls her a convicted criminal and asks for her return.
The first request — and India’s reply
Soon after the verdict in November 2025, the interim government sent a diplomatic note to India’s foreign ministry asking for Hasina’s extradition. The request was sent through Bangladesh’s High Commission in New Delhi, under the 2013 extradition treaty between the two countries.
India’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, confirmed that the request had arrived. He said it was under examination under legal and judicial processes. He has not given a yes or a no.
By August 2026, Dhaka said the request had received no response from New Delhi. That silence is part of why the law minister’s remarks on Sunday matter: Bangladesh is publicly reminding India that the request is still on the table, and that it has not gone away.
India’s position, as stated by its foreign ministry, is that the requests are being examined as part of its established processes. In other words, New Delhi has neither accepted nor rejected the request. It has simply not decided.
That leaves both countries in an awkward middle ground. Bangladesh keeps asking. India keeps examining. And Hasina remains in India.
What the 2013 extradition treaty says
The legal heart of this dispute is a treaty that India and Bangladesh signed in 2013. It came into force on 23 October 2013, and the two sides amended one article in July 2016 to speed up extraditions.
Here is what the treaty says, in simple terms.
First, it has a rule called dual criminality. That means the act a person is accused of must be a crime in both countries. If something is a crime in Bangladesh but not in India, extradition cannot go ahead on that charge.
Second, the treaty has a political offence exception. Article 6 lets a country refuse extradition if the offence is political in character. This is the sharpest legal question in Hasina’s case, because her supporters could argue that the charges against her are political.
But the exception has limits. It does not cover murder, culpable homicide or incitement to murder. It also leaves out several explosives and terrorism charges. So the question is not whether the case has a political background — it clearly does. The question is whether the specific offences she was convicted of fall under the exception or outside it.
Third, the treaty also lets a country refuse if a request seems unjust or oppressive. That gives the requested country room to look at the fairness of the process, not just the letter of the law.
India’s own Extradition Act works alongside the treaty. It also bars surrender for political offences. Legal experts say the final call involves both law and diplomacy — the treaty sets the rules, but the decision is made by a government weighing legal advice, politics and the wider relationship between the two countries.
On 5 November 2026, Bangladesh’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Humaiun Kobir, added another detail. He said Bangladesh will seek Hasina’s return exclusively through the bilateral extradition treaty, and that no passport or travel document is needed to bring her back. “We have an extradition treaty (with India) for apprehending terrorists and criminals. A passport is not required to bring back terrorists or criminals. It is a matter of handing them over,” he told reporters at Dhaka airport.
The August press conference that damaged ties
The extradition case is not the only strain between Dhaka and New Delhi. A press conference in August 2026 made relations worse.
On 5 August 2026, Hasina held an audio-only virtual press conference from New Delhi. It was organised by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of South Asia, and it was her first public media interaction since she fled Bangladesh.
In the press conference, she said the ban on her Awami League party should be lifted. She also said she would return to Bangladesh in December, even though she could face imprisonment or be killed. Read our earlier report: Sheikh Hasina Vows to Return to Bangladesh in December Despite Death Sentence
Dhaka reacted sharply. The Foreign Ministry said it was “outraged” that Hasina had been allowed to engage with the media, and said it had warned India in advance that the event could undermine efforts to reset ties.
India distanced itself from the event. Its foreign ministry said the press conference was organised by a private media entity and that the government had no involvement whatsoever. On 7 August, spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India did not endorse her remarks against the Tarique Rahman government.
This was not the first such row. In November 2025, Dhaka summoned India’s deputy high commissioner, Pawan Badhe, to object to Hasina’s interviews with Indian media.
Each of these episodes has added to the tension. From Dhaka’s point of view, India is giving a convicted former leader a platform to speak against the current government. From New Delhi’s point of view, it has not taken a position on her statements, and the events were organised by private groups.
Hasina’s December return vow
One detail makes the timing of Sunday’s statement important. Hasina has said she intends to return to Bangladesh in December 2026.
She made that promise during the August press conference, saying she would come back despite the possibility of being imprisoned or killed. Her words drew a sharp reaction from Dhaka at the time.
December is now only weeks away. If she does try to return, the question of what happens to her — arrest, trial, or something else — would become immediate and real. If she does not return, Dhaka’s extradition demand remains the only route to bring her back.
Either way, the law minister’s statement on Sunday sets out the government’s position clearly before December arrives: it wants her back, it wants her back through the treaty, and it will deal with her under the law if India hands her over.
Why India has not decided
India’s silence is the biggest unanswered question in this story. The foreign ministry has said only that the requests are being examined. It has not explained what it is examining, or when it might decide.
There are several reasons a decision like this is difficult.
The first is the law itself. As explained above, the treaty allows refusal for political offences, and India’s own law does the same. The government must decide whether the crimes against humanity conviction falls inside or outside that exception. That is a legal judgement, and it is not a simple one.
The second is politics. Hasina was a close partner of India during her 15 years in power. Handing her over to face a death sentence would be a major step, and one that would be watched closely in both countries.
The third is the wider relationship. India and Bangladesh share a long border, deep trade ties and a complicated history. A decision on extradition would affect that relationship in either direction — refusing could anger Dhaka, while agreeing could be seen as taking sides in Bangladesh’s internal politics.
For now, India has chosen not to choose. It has acknowledged the request and said it is under examination. That position may hold for a long time, or it may change quickly if events force a decision.
What happens next
Three things will decide how this story develops.
The first is India’s answer. The request has been with New Delhi since late 2025, and Dhaka said in August 2026 that it had received no response. The law minister’s public statement on Sunday is a way of pressing for one. But there is no deadline in the treaty that forces India to reply by a particular date.
The second is December. Hasina has said she will return to Bangladesh that month. If she makes a move, the situation could change very fast — and both governments would have to respond to events rather than to each other’s statements.
The third is the relationship itself. The extradition case is one of several disputes between Dhaka and New Delhi, alongside the press conference row and the summoning of diplomats. How the two governments manage these disputes will shape whether the extradition request is treated as a purely legal matter or as part of a wider political negotiation.
For now, the positions are clear. Bangladesh says Hasina is a convicted criminal and wants her back under the treaty. India says it is examining the request and has not decided. And Hasina, from New Delhi, says she will come home in December.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Sheikh Hasina?
Sheikh Hasina was the prime minister of Bangladesh for 15 years, until she fled to India on 5 August 2024 after a mass uprising. She is the leader of the Awami League party.
What was she convicted of?
In November 2025, Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal convicted her of crimes against humanity committed during the July–August 2024 uprising. She was tried in her absence and sentenced to death on one charge and life imprisonment on another.
What is Bangladesh asking India to do?
Bangladesh has asked India to extradite Hasina under the 2013 extradition treaty between the two countries. Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman confirmed on 8 November 2026 that the request has been made and that the Home Ministry is handling it.
Has India agreed to hand her over?
No. India has acknowledged receiving the requests but has not announced any decision. Its foreign ministry says the requests are being examined as part of its established processes.
What does the extradition treaty say?
India and Bangladesh signed the treaty in 2013, and it came into force on 23 October 2013. It requires dual criminality — the act must be a crime in both countries. Article 6 allows refusal if the offence is political in character, but that exception does not cover murder, culpable homicide, incitement to murder, or several explosives and terrorism charges.
When does Hasina say she will return?
She said during a virtual press conference on 5 August 2026 that she intends to return to Bangladesh in December 2026, despite the possibility of being imprisoned or killed.
Conclusion
Bangladesh’s law minister has put the extradition case back in the headlines with blunt language: to Dhaka, Sheikh Hasina is a convicted criminal, and the request for her return is already with New Delhi.
The case now sits at the intersection of law and diplomacy. The treaty gives India clear rules to follow, but also room to refuse. The conviction gives Bangladesh a strong claim, but the political offence exception gives India a possible answer. And the December deadline Hasina set for herself adds urgency to a process that has so far moved slowly.
What happens next depends on a decision India has not yet made, and on a return journey Hasina has promised but not yet begun. Until one of those things changes, the extradition request will remain open — and the tension between the two neighbours will remain with it.
Sources
- The Hindu, “Bangladesh Law Minister calls Hasina ‘convicted criminal’, says extradition request sent to India”, 8 November 2026: https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/bangladesh-law-minister-calls-hasina-convicted-criminal-says-extradition-request-sent-to-india/article71680798.ece
- The Statesman, “‘Convicted criminal’: Bangladesh renews its demand for Sheikh Hasina’s extradition from India”, 8 November 2026: https://www.thestatesman.com/?p=1503660211
- Zee News, “‘No room for emotions’: Bangladesh seeks Hasina’s return, says law will take its course”, 8 November 2026: https://english.zeenews.com/world/article-sheikh-hasina-extradition-bangladesh-india-law-minister-3161778
- Asia Diplomacy, “Hasina needs no passport, India must hand her over under extradition treaty: Humaiun Kobir”, 5 November 2026: https://asiandiplomacy.net/hasina-needs-no-passport-india-must-hand-her-over-under-extradition-treaty-humaiun-kobir/
This article is for general information and education only. It is not legal or financial advice.
