Bangladesh to seek extradition of ousted ex-PM Sheikh Hasina

INA-  sources


Bangladesh will seek the extradition of ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina who was toppled in a revolution in August and fled to India, interim leader Muhammad Yunus said.

Dhaka has already issued an arrest warrant for the 77-year-old Ms Hasina – last seen arriving in neighbouring India after fleeing by helicopter as crowds stormed her palace.

She has been summoned to appear in court in Dhaka on Nov 18 to face charges of “massacres, killings, and crimes against humanity”, but she remains in exile in India.

Mr Yunus said his administration was focused on ensuring that those guilty of cracking down on the protests to oust Ms Hasina faced justice.
Several of her former government ministers, who were detained and held in custody, are expected to appear in court to face similar charges.
“We have already taken initiatives to try those responsible for enforced disappearances, murders and the mass killings during the July-to-August uprising,” Mr Yunus said on Nov 17.
The 84-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner was appointed to lead the government as “chief adviser” on Aug 9, days after the end of Ms Hasina’s 15 years of iron-fisted rule.

Mr Yunus, in a speech to the nation marking 100 days in power since a student-led revolution, said he had spoken to Mr Karim Khan, chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.

“We will seek the extradition of the ousted autocrat from India,” Mr Yunus said, referring to Ms Hasina.

Earlier in November, Bangladesh said it would request an Interpol “red notice” alert for fugitive leaders of Ms Hasina’s regime.

Red notices issued by the global police body alert law enforcement agencies worldwide about fugitives.

India is a member of Interpol, but the red notice does not mean New Delhi must hand Ms Hasina over.

Member countries can “apply their own laws in deciding whether to arrest a person”, according to the group, which organises police cooperation between 196 member countries.

‘Request your patience’

Mr Yunus, a microfinance pioneer, is leading a temporary administration to tackle what he has called the “extremely tough” challenge of restoring democratic institutions in the South Asian nation of around 170 million people.
He also begged the country’s “patience” to prepare for much-awaited polls, vowing that an election commission would be formed “within a few days”.
But Mr Yunus said he could not give a timeframe for the elections, saying it was dependent on a raft of reforms.
“I promise that we will hold the much-anticipated election once the necessary and essential reforms are complete,” he said in the broadcast.
“I request your patience until then. We aim to build an electoral system that will endure for decades. For this, we need some time.”
Crisis Group analyst Thomas Kean has called the challenge facing Mr Yunus “monumental”, warning that “cracks are emerging in the fragile alliance” that pushed him into power.
“For now, Yunus and his colleagues have widespread support, but popular expectations are double-edged,” the think-tank said in a report on Nov 14.
“If the interim administration falters in making reforms, the outcome is likely to be an early election with little progress; in the worst-case scenario, the military could assume power.” AFP