Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal formally approved charges against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday, paving the way for a trial in absentia after Hasina fled to India following last August's mass uprising. The charges relate to the killing of at least 650 protesters during the government's crackdown between July and August 2024. Hasina, who has been sheltering in India since her ouster, has not responded to the tribunal's summons. The Indian government has declined to extradite her, citing the absence of a formal extradition treaty with Bangladesh — a position Dhaka's foreign ministry called "deeply unsatisfactory" in a statement released Wednesday.
Bangladesh's interim government moves to try Sheikh Hasina in absentia for August crackdown killings
Dhaka moves to try its ousted prime minister in absentia — and India's refusal to extradite her is straining the already fractured bilateral relationship.