DHAKA: A Bangladeshi court on Thursday issued an arrest warrant for exiled former leader Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India in August after being ousted by a student-led revolution. The court has ordered her to be produced in court on November 18, according to Mohammad Tajul Islam, chief prosecutor of Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal.

Hasina's 15-year rule was marked by widespread human rights abuses, including the mass detention and extrajudicial killings of her political opponents. Islam stated that Hasina was responsible for massacres, killings, and crimes against humanity from July to August, calling it a "remarkable day." Hasina, 77, has not been seen in public since fleeing Bangladesh, with her last known location being a military airbase near New Delhi, India. Her presence in India has angered Bangladesh, which has revoked her diplomatic passport.

Although the countries have a bilateral extradition treaty, it includes a clause that allows for refusal if the offense is of a "political character." Hasina's government established the controversial ICT in 2010 to investigate atrocities during the 1971 independence war from Pakistan. The United Nations and rights groups criticized its procedural shortcomings, viewing it as a tool for Hasina to eliminate political opponents. Several cases accusing Hasina of orchestrating the "mass murder" of protesters are currently under investigation by the court.