Bangladesh EC bars deposed PM Hasina from voting

Bangladesh's Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday said it has "locked" the national identity cards of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, effectively barring her from voting in the general elections scheduled for February next year.

"Anyone whose national identity (NID) card has been locked cannot vote from abroad," EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed told reporters at his office in Nirbachon Bhavan here.

"Her (Hasina's) NID is locked," he added.

Though Ahmed did not mention any other name, UNB news agency and the Dhaka Tribune newspaper, quoting unnamed EC officials, reported that NIDs of Hasina's younger sister Sheikh Rehana, son Sajeeb Wazed Joy and daughter Saima Wazed Putul have also been "locked" or "blocked".

Rehana's children Tulip Rizwana Siddiq, Azmina Siddiq and nephew Radwan Mujib Siddiq Bobby, her brother-in-law and Hasina's former security adviser retired major general Tarique Ahmed Siddique, his wife Shahin Siddique and their daughter Bushra Siddique are also reportedly barred from voting.

Ahmed, however, said those who "fled abroad to evade justice" or for other reasons could still vote provided their NID cards remain active.

Hasina's Awami League government was toppled on August 5, 2024, after a violent student-led movement forced her to escape to India.

Subsequently, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus took charge as Chief Adviser of the interim government and suspended Awami League activities pending trial of Hasina and other senior Awami leaders on charges, including crimes against humanity.

Hasina is currently being tried in absentia at Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal, where prosecutors have sought capital punishment for alleged atrocities during the July 2024 uprising.

Most senior Awami League leaders remain underground or in exile as mobs torched and vandalised their properties, including the 32 Dhanmondi residence of Bangladesh's founder and Hasina's father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.