Zakir Hossain from Dhaka
Bangladesh’s Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Md Asaduzzaman on Thursday said legal action would be taken in accordance with the law if former Prime Minister and death-row convict Sheikh Hasina returns to the country.
Speaking to reporters after the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on legal aid between the ministry, BRAC and BLAST at the Secretariat, the minister responded to reports that Hasina had said in a recent interview she would return to Bangladesh in December.
“First of all, how do you know whether the Ministry of Home Affairs is trying to secure her extradition or not? It is certainly making efforts–I can tell you that,” he said.
He added that, under Bangladeshi law, even a death-row convict who is a Bangladeshi citizen has the right to return and surrender.
“If she comes back, the law will take its own course. She may be arrested before she can formally surrender. But that right exists. We will not violate the law under any circumstances. We will exercise only the authority granted to us under the law,” Asaduzzaman said.