Bangladesh's chief prosecutor at the International Crimes Tribunal says the law does not allow the government to issue a passport to ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, and that extradition from India is the only lawful way for her to come back.
Md Aminul Islam, the ICT chief prosecutor, said Hasina has used up every legal remedy and can no longer challenge the tribunal's judgment. The ICT sentenced her to death on November 17, 2025, on charges of crimes against humanity linked to the July 2024 mass uprising. Prosecutors say she had the chance to appear in court and defend herself but stayed abroad, and she did not file an appeal within the 30-day period set by law.
If she wants to return, he said, the proper course is to ask the Indian government for extradition under the treaty between the two countries. He described the verdict as the only step left in her case and dismissed talk of a surprise return aimed at destabilizing politics.
The chief prosecutor also pointed to the Passport Order of 1973. Under it, a passport cannot be issued to anyone convicted of an offense involving moral turpitude and sentenced to at least two years in prison within the previous five years, and the law calls for seizing the passport of such a person. He said Hasina falls into that category and ruled out any new passport or travel document for her.
The comments follow an email sent on November 9 to the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi by Matrix Chambers, a London-based law firm, asking for a new passport and national ID card for Hasina. Both documents were canceled during the interim government's term.
Zahed Ur Rahman, the prime minister's information and broadcasting adviser, told reporters at the Secretariat that the request was procedurally invalid because a passport application must come from the person herself, and Hasina has not applied. He said the lack of a passport will not block her return, since Dhaka has already begun formal extradition proceedings under the bilateral treaty with India.
Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for India's Ministry of External Affairs, said at a biweekly briefing in New Delhi that extradition is a legal matter to be handled through the appropriate legal process. On the question of travel, he said a travel document is required.
