Bangladesh on Tuesday said it "welcomes" deposed former prime minister Sheikh Hasina's plans to return home, with Prime Minister Tariq Rehman’s adviser saying “let her bring the best lawyers in the world”.
Sheikh Hasina has been living in India since she fled Dhaka following the collapse of her government.
(REUTERS File)Zahed Ur Rahman, the Bangladesh PM’s adviser for information and strategy, asserted that Hasina must face justice as a death penalty convict.
"We welcome her announcement as we want to ensure justice," Zahed Ur Rahman said at a media briefing on Tuesday.
The Awami League leader has dismissed the death penalty, criminal convictions and charges against her as "politically motivated".
Bangladesh on Tuesday said it "welcomes" deposed former prime minister Sheikh Hasina's plans to return home, with Prime Minister Tariq Rehman’s adviser saying “let her bring the best lawyers in the world”. Sheikh Hasina has been living in India since she fled Dhaka following the collapse of her government. (REUTERS File)
Zahed Ur Rahman, the Bangladesh PM’s adviser for information and strategy, asserted that Hasina must face justice as a death penalty convict. The comments came amid the deposed Bangladesh leader hinting at a possible return to Bangladesh by the end of this year in a recent interview.
"We welcome her announcement as we want to ensure justice," Zahed Ur Rahman said at a media briefing on Tuesday.
Zahed said the "people of the country want her death penalty to be upheld for the crimes she committed, and in that case her capital punishment will be executed as the people want to see that".
"Let her bring the best lawyers in the world," he was quoted as saying by the Daily Star.
Seventy-eight-year-old Hasina, the daughter of Bangladesh's founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was toppled in a violent student-led street protest on August 5, 2024. She has been living in India since she fled Dhaka following the collapse of her government.
Verdict against Sheikh Hasina Hasina was sentenced to death in absentia by a special tribunal in Dhaka in November last year for alleged "crimes against humanity" over her government's brutal crackdown on student-led protests in 2024.
The Awami League leader has dismissed the death penalty, criminal convictions and charges against her as "politically motivated".
Since the verdict, Dhaka has been urging New Delhi to extradite her to face the law.
The ministry of external affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated on Tuesday that there is no change in India's approach regarding Hasina, reiterating that any extradition is strictly a legal issue that will be dealt with accordingly.
