'No option but execution': Bangladesh prosecutor warns Sheikh Hasina amid passport demand; India refuses to comment

The Bangladeshi prosecutor Md Aminul Islam who secured the death sentence against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said on Tuesday (Nov 10) that she will be executed if she returns home. In November 2025, Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal sentenced her to death in absentia for crimes against humanity over the deadly crackdown on the 2024 protests. Hasina has denied the charges, rejected the verdict, and questioned the fairness of the trial conducted in her absence.

Also Read: Sheikh Hasina seeks new Bangladeshi passport ahead of December return

Hasina, whose 15-year rule was ended by a mass uprising she tried to crush, has vowed to return in December to Bangladesh, despite her conviction and death sentence. "Sheikh Hasina has no option but to face the execution of the verdict," Md Aminul Islam told reporters, responding to reports she planned to return from self-imposed exile in neighbouring India. He added that the 79-year-old fugitive had missed the deadline to appeal against her conviction, leaving her with no further legal recourse. "The statutory appeal period has expired, and no appeal can now be filed," he said.

Also Read: Dhaka rejects Sheikh Hasina's request for a new passport

What India said?

Meanwhile, India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in its weekly presser refused to be drawn on the issue of Hasina seeking a passport from the Bangladesh high commission to facilitate her return home next month. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal declined to comment and simply said: “The question that you asked is essentially a question that you must pose to the Bangladesh high commission. This is a matter which they would be in a better position to convey to you, what is the sense they have on this particular issue,” he said. He also added that the matter is “a legal matter, and it will be dealt with accordingly.” When Jaiswal was asked specifically whether the extradition of a person will be possible if they did not possess a passport, he replied: “Obviously, for the travel of people, you need a travel document. That is what I understand, but it is a technical matter.”

What's happening in Bangladesh?

Earlier on Nov 10, banned student organisation of Hasina's Awami League - Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) - announced a nationwide shutdown amid a spate of crude bomb explosions and arson attacks targeting public transport, police establishments and government infrastructure. More than 50 crude bomb explosions and at least eight buses being set on fire have been reported in Dhaka over the past few days. The escalating incidents have triggered security concerns ahead of the shutdown, with authorities stepping up surveillance and police deployment across the capital.

Hasina wants new passport, Bangladeshi govt reacts

It was widely reported on Nov 8-9 that Hasina has formally requested a new Bangladeshi passport and National Identity Card (NID) from the High Commission in New Delhi, marking her clearest step yet towards a planned return to Bangladesh in December. In a letter dated 9 November and written by her London-based counsel Steven Powles KC of Matrix Chambers, Hasina’s lawyers asked Acting High Commissioner Preeti Rahman to issue the documents. The letter states that her existing passport and NID had reportedly been revoked by the interim government and other authorities.

However, Bangladeshi government ’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Humaiun Kobir, has ruled out issuing a passport to ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, insisting she must be returned from India under an existing extradition treaty.

“She has been sentenced to death. Bangladesh does not provide passports to a terrorist. We want Hasina to be handed over. She will be handed over. She is a terrorist. She is a fugitive criminal. There is an active extradition treaty between Bangladesh and India,” Kobir told reporters.