Bangladesh: Yunus urges India to extradite Hasina citing BBC audio leak report

Bangladesh’s interim government, led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, on Wednesday called on India to act with “conscience and moral clarity” and to extradite ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who faces charges of crimes against humanity. The appeal follows the release of an audio recording by the BBC.

The statement comes a day after BBC Bangla reported on a leaked phone call in which Hasina allegedly ordered security forces to “shoot” at protesting students during last year’s mass uprising.

“We now urge the Republic of India to act with conscience and moral clarity. For too long, India has refused to comply with Bangladesh’s lawful request for the extradition of Sheikh Hasina. That position is no longer tenable. India can no longer protect an individual who stands credibly accused of crimes against humanity. No regional friendship, no strategic calculus, no political legacy can excuse or obscure the deliberate murder of civilians”, Yunus’s Press secretary, Shafiqul Alam, said in a post on X.

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Last December, Bangladesh formally requested Hasina’s extradition by sending India a note verbale. New Delhi confirmed it had received the diplomatic communication but offered no further comment. Yunus said he raised the issue again in person during talks on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC summit in Thailand.

Government spokesperson Alam said the BBC Eye Investigations Unit has now confirmed Hasina’s direct involvement in what he described as “state-sanctioned murder.” He added that when a global institution like the BBC devotes significant resources to investigating crimes in Bangladesh, the international community cannot ignore the findings.

Bangladesh’s tribunal to decide on charges

Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal-1 has set 10 July to decide whether charges will be formally brought against Sheikh Hasina and two of her top aides.

Last Wednesday, Hasina was sentenced in absentia to six months in prison for contempt of court by the tribunal.

1,400 people were killed during protests: UN

A UN human rights report states that up to 1,400 people were killed between 15 July and 15 August last year when Hasina’s government ordered a security crackdown on protesters.

The interim government has begun trials over the violent measures used to suppress last year’s uprising, which led to the fall of the nearly 16-year Awami League rule on 5 August and forced Hasina to flee to India.

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Many leaders of the Awami League, along with ministers and officials from the former regime, have either been arrested or have gone into hiding in Bangladesh and abroad.