Bangladesh protests: Former prime minister seeks asylum
Former Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina (photo: Getty Images)
Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who resigned and left the country amid protests, is considering possible options for applying for asylum. The former official expects to get such an opportunity in six countries, including Belarus, reports Free Press Journal.
The former Bangladeshi prime minister, accompanied by her sister Sheikh Rehana, had planned to travel from India to London to seek temporary asylum, but this option is not currently being considered.
This comes after the UK government made it clear that she may not receive legal protection from any possible investigation into the massive violent protests in her country, they said.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said that over the past two weeks, Bangladesh has seen unprecedented levels of violence and tragic loss of life, and the people of the country "deserve a full and independent UN-led investigation into the events."
Under UK immigration rules, it is not possible to apply for asylum while outside the UK, and each asylum application is carefully considered on its own merits in each case.
Where can Hasina go
At present, sources say, Hasina is considering several options, including the United Arab Emirates, Belarus, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Finland.
According to the sources, Sheikh Hasina will stay in India for at least the next few days. She landed at the Hindon air base on Monday on a C-130J military transport plane a few hours after she resigned as prime minister and was transferred to an undisclosed location in Delhi under tight security.
Background
Earlier it was reported that amid mass protests and demonstrations in Bangladesh, the prime minister resigned and flew to India on a military helicopter to India.
The day before, it became known that Bangladeshi Army Chief General Waqer-Uz-Zaman announced the formation of an interim government.
Numerous demonstrations and protests broke out in the country last month. At the rallies, students demanded the abolition of quotas that reserved 30% of civil service jobs for families of veterans who fought in Bangladesh's war of independence against Pakistan in 1971.
The demonstrators also demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina over the deaths of hundreds of people during the protests.
