UK Awami League demonstrates in London, demands Tarique’s extradition

A day after Sheikh Hasina said her government is trying to negotiate the extradition of Tarique Rahman, the UK chapter of the Awami League has demanded that the top BNP leader be sent back to Bangladesh to face justice.

They staged a demonstration in front of the British Parliament at London’s Westminster on Wednesday to put pressure on Prime Minister Theresa May’s government.

The protest was also meant to counter demonstrations by BNP activists in London on the same day as Prime Minister Hasina is attending the Commonwealth summit.

Now heading the BNP from exile, Tarique is convicted of money laundering and corruption in two separate cases.

He is also being tried in many other cases, including one on charges of attempted assassination of Hasina.

The prime minister on Tuesday said they were trying to get the British government to extradite the BNP leader from London.

“The UK is a free country, anybody can take shelter, refuge…that’s true. The crime that the person committed… and already he is convicted,” Hasina said.

“And I don’t understand how UK enjoys keeping a convicted person,” she had remarked.

Hasia also said her government was “eager” to take Tarique back.

“He should face the court,” she said. “Well, we are talking to the British government about it and definitely one day we will take him back,” she added.

BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique, in London for a decade, is standing in for his mother Khaleda Zia who was jailed for five years for corruption on Feb 8.

He has also been sentenced to 10 years in prison in the same case. He had earlier got a prison term of seven years for laundering money.