Bangladeshi ex‑prime minister Sheikh Hasina seeks new passport amid death‑sentence dispute
On Monday, former prime minister Sheikh Hasina filed a request for a renewed passport and national identity card, aiming to return to Bangladesh in December to surrender to the war‑crimes court. Bangladesh’s foreign and law ministries are reviewing the legal basis of her application, while the acting foreign minister says the government will not issue a passport and will consider a prisoner‑exchange process. Hasina was sentenced to death in November last year for ordering a deadly crackdown on a student uprising that ended her rule in August 2024.
Key facts
- Her passport was revoked shortly after she fled to India in August 2024.
- Lawyers from London‑based Matrix Chambers sent a letter to Bangladesh’s high commission in New Delhi requesting the documents.
- Bangladesh’s acting foreign minister cited the extradition treaty as a basis for seeking her return.
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Why it matters
The case tests Bangladesh’s extradition treaty and the political future of a former leader.
What changed
First published from Hindustan Times, The Jerusalem Post, The Hindu, South China Morning Post and Al Jazeera English