Staff Reporter:
Chief Prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) Advocate Md Aminul Islam yesterday categorically stated that there is no legal scope for the Bangladesh government to issue a passport or travel document to absconding death-row convict Sheikh Hasina, asserting that her return to the country can only take place under the provisions of the bilateral Extradition Treaty.
“Sheikh Hasina is a death-row convict sentenced by the ICT for crimes against humanity. There is no legal scope under existing passport laws to issue a passport to a convicted fugitive. If she wishes to return to Bangladesh, she must do so under the Extradition Treaty,” the ICT Chief Prosecutor told newsmen on the ICT premises this noon.
Responding to reporters’ queries regarding recent discussions on issuing a passport or travel pass to the ousted prime minister, the Chief Prosecutor cited statutory prohibitions under the Bangladesh Passport Order 1973.
Dissecting the legal framework governing travel documentation, Advocate Aminul Islam highlighted Articles 6 and 7 of the Bangladesh Passport Order 1973 as insurmountable legal barriers.
Article 6 Prohibition: Under Article 6 of the Order, passport authorities are explicitly barred from issuing a passport to any person who has been convicted of an offense and sentenced to imprisonment for a minimum term of two years, within five years prior to the application.
Article 7 Revocation & Moral Turpitude: Article 7 empowers the government to impound or revoke the passport of any individual convicted of an offense involving moral turpitude.
“She will not return voluntarily, nor does any legal framework permit her return outside formal channels,” the Chief Prosecutor remarked, describing recent public chatter surrounding her return as a “political stunt” (stuntbaji). “Her return can only be executed through the formal framework of the Extradition Treaty.”
