Bangladesh court sets one-week deadline for Hasina to surrender

A Bangladesh court issued a circular in newspapers on Tuesday, setting a one-week deadline for former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has been in India since August of last year, to surrender by June 24 to face charges of crimes against humanity; otherwise, the trial will be held in absentia.

The notice was published in newspapers by the Dhaka-based International Crimes Tribunal, which warned that Hasina’s trial would proceed in absentia if she fails to appear.

A similar order was issued for former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, a close aide to Hasina, who also fled to India along with dozens of officials from the Awami League-led government after an uprising on August 5 of last year.

On June 1, the tribunal formally accepted charges against Hasina related to alleged human rights abuses.

According to a report by the UN human rights office, up to 1,400 people were killed in the unrest between July and August 2024, including children who made up 12% of the casualties. Over 22,000 people were reportedly injured during the anti-government demonstrations.

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, who leads Bangladesh's transitional government, said during a recent visit to the UK that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told him that the Indian government was unable to control Hasina’s use of social media platforms.

Bangladesh has since filed formal complaints with the Indian government, alleging that Hasina’s online statements are disrupting internal affairs and requesting New Delhi to restrict her access to communication platforms until her return.