South Asia has recently experienced a major event, as a death sentence has stirred up two neighboring countries. The former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, was sentenced to death by her own court! What's funny and complicated is that the person sentenced to death has already fled to India, and didn't even appear in court.

This is strange: why would a former prime minister be sentenced to death? Now that India knows she is a "death row prisoner," why does it still dare to keep her? The twists and turns behind this are more exciting than a TV drama.

First, we need to understand: what exactly is this "absentee trial"?

The story goes back to November 17th, when an institution called the "International War Crimes Tribunal" in Bangladesh directly convicted Sheikh Hasina and sentenced her to death. Along with her were the former interior minister and police chief. The charges were serious: murder, intentional injury, and ordering the use of lethal weapons.

But here's the key point: Sheikh Hasina wasn't even present! She had fled to Delhi, India, last August and this was a typical "absentee trial," with the court even appointing a lawyer for her to go through the procedures.

Sheikh Hasina's side was even more extreme; before the verdict came out, she said, "Go ahead and sentence me, I don't care at all!" She directly called this court a "kangaroo court," saying it was just a farce.

Her words actually make sense because this "International War Crimes Tribunal" isn't really an international organization. It's just a domestic court set up by Bangladesh itself, with no relation to the real International Criminal Court in The Hague. More ironically, this tribunal was established during Sheikh Hasina's time as Prime Minister, and now it has become a tool to try herself. Who could have predicted such a twist in the plot?

From "daughter of the father of the nation" to "exile criminal," her life is more thrilling than a roller coaster.

Sheikh Hasina is no ordinary person. Her father was the "father of the nation" of Bangladesh, Mujibur Rahman, equivalent to the "founder of the country." But her life has also been tough. In her youth, her family suffered a military coup, and her father and most of her relatives were killed. At that time, she was in West Germany, and only she and her sister survived.

With this status and her own abilities, she later became Prime Minister of Bangladesh twice, serving her last term from 2009 until August of last year. Who could have imagined that a once-flourishing female prime minister would suddenly end up exiled abroad and sentenced to death? The spark that triggered everything was a "civil service quota" policy.

The beginning of the collapse: an unbalanced distribution of "civil service jobs" sparked nationwide chaos

Bangladesh has long had an unreasonable regulation: 30% of civil service positions must be reserved for the descendants of "freedom fighters." These "freedom fighters" refer to those who participated in the Bangladesh independence war. However, their descendants now account for only 0.12% to 0.2% of the national population. This means that 30% of the job positions are being used to support 0.2% of the population, which other young people can't accept.

Everyone has been calling for reform of this system, but Sheikh Hasina's government stubbornly refused to change it. Instead, they openly insulted the protesters, calling them "Razakars." This word is a huge insult in Bangladesh, meaning "collaborators" or "traitors" who helped Pakistan against their own people during the war.

Once this statement was made, the whole country exploded, and the protests quickly got out of control. Sheikh Hasina was also ruthless, ordering the police and army to suppress the protests directly, resulting in bloodshed. By this point, she couldn't hold on any longer, so she announced her resignation through a general without even showing her face, then secretly fled to India for refuge.

India is now caught in a difficult situation: keeping her is a problem, handing her over is also a problem.

After fleeing to India, Sheikh Hasina hasn't been idle. She tried to find countries like the UK and UAE to offer her asylum, but no one dared to take her in, so she remained in Delhi. Now, a caretaker government has been established in Bangladesh, led by Yunus, preparing for the general election in February next year. However, Sheikh Hasina is still not giving up, as her son in the US stated, "My mother didn't resign personally, so legally she's still the Prime Minister!"

More importantly, India and Bangladesh have an extradition treaty. The current government in Bangladesh has already asked India to hand over Sheikh Hasina to execute the death penalty. However, India has been ignoring the request and hasn't given in.

This isn't about India being sentimental, but rather its own hidden agenda. After all, Sheikh Hasina is still a former prime minister, and she must have many political secrets in South Asia. Moreover, she has many supporters in Bangladesh.

If she is handed over now, and if her supporters regain power in the future, the relationship between India and Bangladesh will be completely ruined. If she is kept, she can act as a "leverage," providing more bargaining power when negotiating with Bangladesh in the future.

Now that the death sentence has been issued, India is in an even more difficult position. The current government in Bangladesh will definitely increase pressure to demand her extradition. But those who understand the situation know that India is likely not to give in. After all, in international relations, so-called "treaties" and "laws" always have to yield to real politics.

What happens next remains to be seen: will Sheikh Hasina be able to stay in India forever? Will the upcoming Bangladesh election be affected by her? Since the relationship between India and Bangladesh is already tense, will it get even worse because of this issue? It can only be said that the political chess game in South Asia will remain chaotic for some time.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7577632747385045523/

Statement: The article represents the views of the author and reader's attitude can be expressed below by using the [top / down] button.