Legal action will be taken if Sheikh Hasina returns: Law Minister

Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Md Asaduzzaman. Photo : Collected

Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Md Asaduzzaman has said that legal action will be taken in accordance with the law if death-row convict Sheikh Hasina returns to Bangladesh.

The minister made the remarks on Thursday (30 July) while responding to questions from journalists after the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on legal aid between the ministry, BRAC and BLAST at the Secretariat.

Asked about Sheikh Hasina’s recent interview in which she reportedly said she would return to Bangladesh in December, the minister said: “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 added that even if a person sentenced to death is a Bangladeshi citizen, they have the right to return to the country and surrender in accordance with Bangladeshi law.

“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,” the minister said.