Bangladesh Election Commission Locks Sheikh Hasina’s National ID, Bars Her from Voting

Bangladesh’s Election Commission (EC) announced on Wednesday that it has “locked” the national identity card (NID) of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, which means she will not be allowed to vote in the upcoming general elections scheduled for February next year.

EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed told reporters that anyone whose NID card is locked cannot vote from abroad. Although he did not reveal other names, media reports say that NIDs of Hasina’s younger sister Sheikh Rehana, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, and daughter Saima Wazed Putul have also been locked or blocked.

In addition, Rehana’s children, her brother-in-law, and other family members reportedly face similar voting bans. However, Ahmed said that people who fled abroad to avoid justice or for other reasons could still vote if their NID cards remain active.

Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government was overthrown in August 2024 after a student-led movement forced her to flee to India. Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus now heads the interim government, which has suspended Awami League activities and is putting Hasina and other senior leaders on trial for crimes against humanity. Hasina is being tried in absentia at Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal, where prosecutors have sought capital punishment for alleged crimes during the 2024 uprising. Many senior Awami League leaders remain in hiding or exile after mobs attacked their properties, including the home of Bangladesh’s founder and Hasina’s father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.