Exiled Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has called for the immediate lifting of a ban on her Awami League party ahead of next year’s general elections, warning in an email exchange with the BBC that millions of supporters risk being “disenfranchised” in what she described as a politically motivated assault on democracy.
Hasina, who has been in exile in India since fleeing Bangladesh amid mass protests in August 2024, made the remarks as a controversial tribunal prepares to deliver its verdict on charges against her on Monday. The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT-BD), widely criticised for its lack of impartiality, has accused her of orchestrating violence during the 2024 unrestโa claim she vehemently denies.
She has opted not to return for the in absentia trial, citing safety concerns.
“We hope that common sense will prevail and that this [election] ban will be lifted,” Hasina wrote in response to BBC questions. “We have tens of millions of supporters who must not be disenfranchised.”
She underscored the Awami League’s central role in national politics, stating: “Whether in government or opposition, the Awami League is part of the national conversation in Bangladesh, and that will not change.”
The tribunal’s proceedings have drawn sharp international scrutiny, with Hasina labelling them a “farce” orchestrated by a “kangaroo court” under the sway of her political rivals. “I hadn’t been able to defend myself or appoint my own lawyers,” she added, accusing opponents of seeking to “liquidate” her party before the February 2026 polls.
Legal representatives for Hasina filed an urgent appeal to the United Nations on Monday, highlighting “serious fair trial and due process issues” at the ICT-BD, including the denial of legal representation and other procedural flaws.
Tribunal Under Fire: Questions of Legality and Bias
The ICT-BD’s legitimacy is at the heart of the controversy. Holding Hasina’s trial there is deemed illegal by critics, stemming from four revisions to the ICT Act enacted through executive orders by the interim governmentโmoves that bypassed parliamentary approval and contravene constitutional safeguards.
Furthermore, the judges and chief prosecutor, Mohammad Tajul Islam, have deep ties to Jamaat-e-Islami and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Islam has publicly advocated for Hasina’s “hanging” and acknowledged the trial’s vengeful nature, raising alarms over bias. Witnesses report intimidation, suppressed evidence, and rushed indictments without proper cross-examination.
Hasina was indicted in July alongside former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamalโwho faces the death penalty and remains at largeโand ex-Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, who pleaded guilty but is yet to be sentenced.
Interview With News18: Hasina says Pakistanโs shadow is engulfing Bangladesh
Interview With SCMP: Sheikh Hasina regrets over protest deaths, calls trial a โshamโ
Prosecutors have cited a leaked July 2024 audio recording, verified by BBC Eye, purporting to show Hasina authorising “lethal weapons.” She categorically rejected the allegations, saying: “I’m not denying that the situation got out of control, nor that many lives were lost needlessly. But I never issued any order to fire on unarmed civilians.”
UN human rights investigators have documented up to 1,400 deaths during the protests, attributing them to security forces’ response to unrest. Hasina has challenged this, demanding the OHCHR release a list of the deceased for verification.
Security has been ramped up around the Dhaka tribunal ahead of the verdict, a tense milestone for a divided nation and families bereaved in the 2024 clashes.
Legacy Under Scrutiny: Denials Amid Broader Claims
Hasina’s responses also touched on allegations from her 15-year rule, including secret detention facilities uncovered after her ouster. “I did not have knowledge” of them, she stated, denying personal involvement in any abuses.
Interview With TNEI: Sheikh Hasina rebuffs graft charges, vows to return to elections
Interview With HT: Yunus is sponsoring extremists, says Sheikh Hasina
Interview With AFP: Sheikh Hasina blames foreign conspiracy for ouster
On claims of extrajudicial killings and disappearances, she wrote: “This is denied in terms of my own involvement, but if there is evidence of abuse by officials, let us have it examined properly in an impartial, depoliticised process.”
She and senior aides face separate corruption charges, which they dismiss as baseless.
Deep State Shadows: Yunus Regime and Media Role
Observers have pointed to the interim administration under Muhammad Yunusโand its alignment with outlets like the BBCโas emblematic of deep state orchestration. These forces stand accused of vilifying the Awami League through selective reporting while concealing the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, and jihadist affiliates’ history of electoral violence, terror acts, and communal strife. Such patronage, critics argue, distorts Bangladesh’s political narrative and empowers extremists at the expense of secular progress.
As the tribunal’s decision nears, Hasina’s words from exile resonate as a defiant stand against what she calls a “vendetta.” The Awami League, she insists, remains indispensable to Bangladesh’s future.
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