Bangladesh prosecutor says Hasina must face death sentence execution

Legal options exhausted

Bangladesh's chief prosecutor at the International Crimes Tribunal said Tuesday that ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has exhausted all legal avenues to challenge her death sentence for crimes against humanity, declaring that the 30-day appeal window has closed.

Chief Prosecutor Md Aminul Islam told reporters in Dhaka that the former premier missed her opportunity to contest the November verdict. "Sheikh Hasina has no legal option left but to face execution of her death sentence," Islam said, adding that she could have appealed within 30 days of the verdict's publication.

Questions over India stay

Hasina has remained in India since fleeing Bangladesh in August 2024 following a mass uprising that ended her 15-year rule. Islam rejected reports that a London-based legal chamber had sought a Bangladeshi passport for the former premier, citing restrictions under the Bangladesh Passport Order, 1973, on issuing travel documents to convicted individuals.

"If she genuinely wanted to return to Bangladesh, she would have come back while the trial was ongoing and faced the case," he said, questioning whether elements within her Awami League party were using her as a "trump card" to destabilize the country. Islam noted that Hasina's legal status in India remains unclear, according to a report published Tuesday by Bangladeshi newspaper Daily Waadaa.

Crackdown conviction

The International Crimes Tribunal in Dhaka sentenced Hasina to death last November for crimes against humanity related to her government's brutal crackdown on the August 2024 protests. At least 1,400 people were killed and thousands injured during the uprising, according to the United Nations, which attributed many deaths to security forces and Awami League supporters.

Islam stated that any genuine attempt to return would require Hasina to submit a written request to Indian authorities seeking her return under the extradition treaty between the two nations. The prosecutor said she must face the execution of her sentence, noting that convicted individuals are barred from receiving passports under Bangladeshi law.