Dhaka expresses outrage over Hasina's press conference in Delhi

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh has issued a scathing response following an event in New Delhi where former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina - a convicted mass murderer facing the death penalty for crimes against humanity - was permitted to address a live media gathering.

In an official press release issued late Wednesday night, the government expressed deep outrage and regret, describing the incident as a direct affront to the sovereignty of Bangladesh and a grievous insult to the martyrs of the July Revolution.

The strong diplomatic reaction came after Sheikh Hasina delivered a virtual address at a press conference organized by the Foreign Correspondents' Club of South Asia (FCC South Asia) in New Delhi on Wednesday afternoon�"the exact day the people of Bangladesh observed the second anniversary of the July Mass Uprising that ousted her regime.

According to the Foreign Ministry's statement, Dhaka had proactively raised concerns with the Government of India prior to the event, warning of the severe ramifications such a public platform could have on the reset and restoration of bilateral relations.

"Dhaka deeply regrets that in spite of concerns conveyed apriori to the Government of India about the likely ramifications of this event on the reset of our bilateral relations, this public event was permitted to be held," the release stated.

The ministry condemned the platform granted to her, stating: "Bangladesh is outraged that the absconding convicted genocider Sheikh Hasina was allowed this evening to engage in live interaction with the media in New Delhi where she and her henchmen launched venomous vitriol against the State of Bangladesh and her people."

The press release firmly rejected the narratives presented during the New Delhi media event, accusing Hasina and her associates of attempting to whitewash the atrocities committed during the 2024 uprising.

"The denial of facts established by the United Nations, including gruesome killing of the innocent civilians including minor children during July-August 2024 by the fascist regime, stands as a futile attempt by the absconding convicted mass murderer Hasina and her criminal cohort to reverse the tide of history," the statement read, adding that the people of Bangladesh had historically rejected such heinous attempts and continue to do so.

Reiterating the core values of the July Revolution, the Foreign Ministry underscored the nation's firm resolve never to return to the "dark days of fascism," asserting that Bangladesh will "never be a client State" and that the "convicted mass murderer Hasina and her mafia enterprise will never have a place in the polity of Bangladesh."

Addressing the broader context of Bangladesh-India relations, the press release highlighted Dhaka’s commitment to maintaining a constructive, mutually beneficial, and forward-looking relationship with New Delhi based on sovereign equality, mutual respect, non-interference in internal affairs, and national dignity.

However, the ministry pointedly noted that Bangladesh’s repeated formal requests to the Government of India to extradite Sheikh Hasina under the 2013 bilateral Extradition Treaty have so far gone unanswered.

"Regrettably, Bangladesh’s repeated requests to the Government of India for returning convicted criminal Hasina to Bangladesh under the Extradition Treaty signed between Bangladesh and India in 2013, has not yet elicited a response," the ministry noted.

The statement concluded with a stern warning that allowing Hasina an opportunity to openly interact with the media under any pretext is "deeply hurtful to our people’s sentiment and detrimental to the development of harmonious bilateral relations between Bangladesh and India."

-MR/SA