Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has called on India to immediately hand over former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal after both were convicted and sentenced in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) for the July massacre.

In an official press release issued in Dhaka on Monday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the ICT had convicted the two fugitives on charges of crimes against humanity. Both have been accused of orchestrating what Bangladesh calls the “July massacre,” with the tribunal delivering its verdict earlier today.

The ministry said providing shelter to the convicted individuals would be “a serious act of enmity and a mockery of justice” by any country harbouring them.

Dhaka invokes extradition treaty with India

The statement specifically urged the Indian government to hand over Sheikh Hasina and Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal to Bangladeshi authorities without delay. The ministry stressed that such cooperation is India’s legal obligation under the existing extradition treaty between the two nations.

“We urge the Government of India to immediately hand over both convicts to the Bangladeshi authorities,” the press release stated.

Earlier on Monday, a Bangladesh court sentenced former prime minister Sheikh Hasina to death for crimes against humanity, concluding a months-long trial that found her guilty of ordering a deadly crackdown on a student-led uprising last year.

Also Read: Bangladesh's Sheikh Hasina sentenced to death for crimes against humanity

Sheikh Hasina has been sentenced to life imprisonment on three charges, as per the court order, while she has been sentenced to death for using deadly weapons and ordering murders of protesters.