Hasina faces immediate arrest upon return: Law Minister

Bangladesh's Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Md. Asaduzzaman declared on Thursday that ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, currently residing in India and sentenced to death, will be taken into custody the instant she crosses back into Bangladeshi territory, regardless of how she chooses to travel.

Speaking to reporters after a memorandum-signing ceremony at the Secretariat--formalising a legal aid partnership between the Department of Legal Aid Services, BRAC's Social Empowerment and Legal Protection (SEP) programme, and the Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST)--Asaduzzaman stressed that the manner of Hasina's return was entirely her own affair, but that stepping onto sovereign Bangladeshi soil would trigger immediate legal consequences under existing law. He noted that even a convicted individual retains the right to legal recourse as a citizen, though law enforcement agencies could move to detain her before any formal surrender, should they deem it necessary. The minister added that the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Home Affairs were pursuing diplomatic and legal channels through proper procedure to secure her return or extradition from India, insisting that due process would proceed without deviation.

On the International Crimes Tribunal, Asaduzzaman said the government was giving serious consideration to a recent Human Rights Watch report scrutinising the tribunal's proceedings, and that the matter was under review. He affirmed the interim administration's commitment to judicial and institutional reform in the public interest. Turning to the alleged enforced disappearance of Bagherhat resident Miraj Sheikh, the minister pledged an impartial and thorough investigation, along with full legal support for the victim's family.

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On the question of the next presidential election and a possible special parliamentary session, the minister explained that constitutional provisions require the vote to be held within 90 days of the presidency falling vacant or the term expiring. Given that the regular September session leaves ample time to complete this process--and that the next parliamentary sitting is legally mandated within 60 days--the government sees no immediate need to convene a special session, though he left open the possibility of doing so should policy considerations demand it.