Politics
Despite the formation of a new government in Bangladesh, the path to a political comeback for the former ruling party, the Awami League, remains blocked.
Despite the formation of a new government in Bangladesh, the path to a political comeback for the former ruling party, the Awami League, remains blocked. The issue of excluding the party from elections has now reached the United Nations. Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed has urged UN human rights experts to take notice of the ban on her party and call for free, fair and inclusive elections in Bangladesh.
According to details published on the website of Matrix Chambers, a UK-based legal institution specializing in international law and human rights, Sheikh Hasina has sent a written communication to UN special rapporteurs expressing serious concerns over the continued ban on the Awami League in Bangladesh. The letter states that the ban was initially imposed by Bangladesh’s interim administration but was subsequently retained and formally implemented by the new government led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) under Tarique Rahman. Hasina argues that maintaining the ban is depriving a significant section of the population of political representation and undermining the democratic process.
The BNP came to power following the February 2026 elections. According to the letter, the Awami League was not permitted to participate in the polls, despite substantial support within Bangladesh for including the party in the electoral process. Hasina maintains that excluding a major political party rendered the elections neither free, fair nor inclusive, raising questions about the legitimacy of their results from both legal and political perspectives.
The communication states that Bangladesh is facing a constitutional situation in which efforts are underway to strengthen democratic institutions and hold elections, while a major political party and organisations affiliated with it remain legally barred from participating in the electoral process. As a result, a substantial proportion of Awami League supporters are being denied the opportunity to obtain political representation through their preferred party.
The letter sent by Sheikh Hasina also argues that it has become difficult for the Awami League to challenge the ban through Bangladesh’s courts. According to the communication, the ban on the party and ongoing attacks against its supporters has created obstacles to securing legal representation and pursuing legal complaints against the restrictions. The letter describes the ban as inconsistent with four provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). These include Article 19, which protects freedom of expression; Article 21, which guarantees the right to peaceful assembly; Article 22, which protects freedom of association; and Article 25, which safeguards political rights.
The communication further alleges that the requirements of legitimate grounds, necessity and proportionality have not been met in imposing the ban, while adequate safeguards to protect the rights of those affected are also lacking. It claims that the restrictions form part of a broader pattern of actions and attacks targeting Awami League members and affiliated individuals. The three UN experts approached by Sheikh Hasina include the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism; the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association; and the Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order.
The letter calls on these experts to issue a public statement and support elections in Bangladesh in which all political forces are given an opportunity to participate. It identifies the exclusion of the Awami League from the electoral process as a central concern. Through this initiative, Sheikh Hasina has sought to take the issue of the ban on her party beyond Bangladesh’s domestic political dispute and bring it before an international human rights forum. Attention will now focus on whether the relevant UN experts respond to the appeal or take any further action.
