Published : 15 Nov 2026, 07:05 PM
Updated : 15 Nov 2026, 07:05 PM
A retrial for former prime minister Sheikh Hasina is legally off the table, the International Crimes Tribunal’s chief prosecutor says, rejecting calls to reopen the case in which she was sentenced to death
Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Aminul Islam said the law clearly sets out the right to appeal and the procedure.
Neither the government nor the tribunal can grant an appeal at will, he said on Sunday.
Hasina has been in India since being ousted in the July 2024 Uprising. Bangladesh has asked New Delhi to return her under the extradition treaty.
A BBC Bangla report on Nov 12 said India had set two conditions for sending Hasina back. One was an assurance that she would be allowed a retrial or an appeal against her death sentence.
India’s Telegraph Online reported on Saturday, citing the BBC, prompting reporters to ask Aminul about a retrial. He dismissed the suggestion as “absurd”.
“Although India has abolished the provision for a de novo trial in its own country, it is advising Bangladesh to hold a retrial. There is no legal scope to try someone twice for the same matter. We reject such absurd statements,” he said.
He questioned why India had not advised Hasina to face trial or appeal within the stipulated period.
“The Indian government knew about the trial proceedings from the very beginning. The accused is staying under its shelter and protection. Why did it not advise its guest [Hasina] to go to Bangladesh and face the trial?
“Or why did it not tell her to file an appeal in time? Instead, she let the time for appeal pass, let the trial proceed, and now they are advising us to hold a de novo trial.”
Section 21(3) of the International Crimes Tribunal Act requires appeals to be filed within 30 days of a verdict. Hasina was sentenced to death on Nov 17 last year, and the deadline has passed.
Aminul said the law was enacted under the Awami League government. The tribunal was established in 2010, and the party used the same law and rules until 2024.
The BNP government has not changed the appeal provisions, he added.
“No one -- the government, the tribunal or the chief prosecutor -- can grant Hasina an opportunity to appeal if the law does not allow it.”
He said commenting on whether Hasina could seek a presidential pardon was beyond his remit.
