Laws don’t allow Hasina to have passport

Résumé détaillé

Extradition from India is deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s only legitimate route back to Bangladesh, and the government cannot issue her a passport following her death…

Extradition from India is deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s only legitimate route back to Bangladesh, and the government cannot issue her a passport following her death sentence for crimes against humanity, ICT Chief Prosecutor Md Aminul Islam said yesterday.

Meanwhile, briefing the media at the Secretariat, PM’s Information and Broadcasting Adviser Zahed Ur Rahman said Hasina herself had not applied for a passport, while the government had already formally sought her return through the bilateral extradition treaty with India.

The International Crimes Tribunal chief prosecutor emphasised that Hasina has exhausted all legal remedies and can no longer challenge the tribunal’s judgment.

“If Sheikh Hasina genuinely wants to return to Bangladesh, our clear advice is that she should submit an application to the Indian government, requesting her extradition to Bangladesh under the existing extradition treaty. That would be the proper course for her,” Aminul told reporters on the tribunal premises.

He explained that under the Bangladesh Passport Order, 1973, passports cannot be issued to individuals convicted of offences involving moral turpitude who have been sentenced to at least two years’ imprisonment within the preceding five years. Besides, the law also mandates the seizure of passports under such circumstances.

Because Hasina stands convicted and sentenced to death for crimes against humanity, she falls squarely within this prohibited category, Aminul said, ruling out the issuance of any new passport or travel document.

“If the state or the government issues a passport or travel pass to a convicted person, it would be a mockery to the trial.”

About the issue, Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs, yesterday said the extradition of Hasina was a legal matter that would be addressed through the appropriate legal process.

“And obviously, for travel of people, you need a travel document,” he said in response to a question at a biweekly press…

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