Hardliners in Bangladesh seem to be in charge of the administration, and the people who used to be their role models are now in charge. These include Zakir Naik and his radical philosophy; it seems that the Bangladeshi government, acting on his advice, has suddenly turned against Sheikh Hasina.
Will Sheikh Hasina in Bangladesh suffer the same fate as Saddam Hussein? Is it possible for Sheikh Hasina to face charges of genocide by the acting Bangladeshi government? Is Sheikh Hasina in risk of receiving the same death sentence as Saddam Hussein? These are real questions, as evidenced by the growing number of cases that Bangladeshi authorities are filing against Sheikh Hasina. These questions are explained by Zed News in today's DNA program.
49 FIRs have been filed against Sheikh Hasina in Bangladesh in just the last ten days alone. Seven lawsuits were filed against her on Thursday alone. Sheikh Hasina is facing 49 cases total; 40 of them involve murder, seven involve crimes against humanity and genocide, one involves kidnapping, and one involves an attack on a BNP gathering.
These murder cases against Sheikh Hasina seem to be intended to get her convicted in a manner akin to those of Saddam Hussein. Similar charges have been brought against Sheikh Hasina, and Saddam Hussein was also convicted of crimes against humanity and genocide.
Saddam Hussein was sentenced to death in Iraq for his role in the massacre that occurred in 1982. In addition, Sheikh Hasina is being prosecuted for the 2013 protest massacre that claimed the lives of 27 people. Sheikh Hasina is currently the subject of four cases pending before the International Crime Tribunal. Three of these cases have to do with the deaths and violence that occurred during student protests; these incidents appear to be a part of the interim government's attempt to get her convicted.
Retaining Sheikh Hasina in Bangladesh from India is crucial for the prosecution and sentencing proceedings. Sheikh Hasina has officially been designated as a fugitive in Bangladesh, and the country's interim government has already begun taking steps to do so.
Sheikh Hasina's diplomatic passport has been revoked by the interim administration of Bangladesh, which claims she is not eligible for one because she is not employed in an official capacity. Sheikh Hasina's stay in India with a diplomatic passport is limited to 45 days per Indian visa regulations. She could have to go back to Bangladesh though because her diplomatic passport was revoked.
The government of Bangladesh may soon ask for Sheikh Hasina's extradition from the government of India. It is Sheikh Hasina's eighteenth day in India. Whether she will be compelled to go back to Bangladesh is the topic at hand. A 2013 pact on extradition between Bangladesh and India stipulates that extradition may be refused in cases when a crime is motivated by politics. For crimes like terrorism, bombings, kidnappings, and murder, extradition cannot be refused.
It is difficult for India to brush off the heinous crimes—murder, genocide, and kidnapping—that have been reported against Sheikh Hasina in Bangladesh over the past two weeks as political in nature. Additionally, Bangladesh is exempt from providing evidence about Sheikh Hasina's allegations when requesting extradition from other countries under the terms of the extradition pact. The arrest warrants that Bangladeshi courts have issued for Sheikh Hasina are the only grounds on which an extradition request may be lodged.
Ironically, Sheikh Hasina may now face more challenges as a result of the extradition deal she once utilised to return fugitives to Bangladesh. Tensions between the Indian government and the interim administration of Bangladesh may also intensify as a result of this circumstance. Based just on the arrest warrants that have been filed against Sheikh Hasina, the interim administration of Bangladesh may shortly request her extradition.
The relationship between the Indian government and the interim government of Bangladesh may be further strained by this issue.
