Bangladesh’s interim government announced plans on Sunday to seek Interpol’s assistance in apprehending leaders from the recently ousted regime of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was removed from office in August following mass unrest.
Speaking to reporters, Asif Nazrul, the interim government’s legal advisor, emphasised that the government is determined to bring to justice those involved in the violent crackdowns during July and August, which reportedly claimed over 700 lives.
"Those responsible for the indiscriminate killings during the mass uprising will be brought back from wherever they have taken refuge," Nazrul said. "We will ensure they are arrested and brought to justice."
The call for a "red notice" from Interpol, an international alert for fugitives, is part of the government’s effort to pursue those linked to the controversial police operations under Hasina’s 15-year rule.
Hasina herself, 77, is believed to have fled to India by helicopter just before her palace was overtaken by protestors.
Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has already issued an arrest warrant for Hasina, who has been summoned to appear in Dhaka on November 18 to face charges of “massacres, killings, and crimes against humanity.” Mohammad Tajul Islam, the chief prosecutor of the ICT, disclosed that arrest warrants have been issued for over 60 individuals, with around 25 already in custody.
Interpol, based in France, coordinates international police cooperation between 196 member countries. The red notice, however, does not obligate India—an Interpol member—to extradite Hasina. Each member country retains the discretion to enforce red notices according to its own legal framework.
