Hasina Seeks Party Ban Lift as War Crimes Verdict Nears

Bangladesh’s former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India after mass protests ousted her last year, has called for the ban on her Awami League party to be lifted ahead of elections expected in early 2026.

Her appeal comes as a special tribunal in Dhaka prepares to deliver a verdict on Monday in a high-profile crimes-against-humanity case. Prosecutors accuse Hasina of orchestrating hundreds of killings during last year’s student-led uprising and are seeking the death penalty, allegations she denies.

Security has been tightened across the capital as families of victims and political observers await the ruling.

UN investigators say as many as 1,400 people were killed when her government allegedly used “systematic, deadly violence” to cling to power.

Speaking from exile, Hasina said the trial was a “farce” and insisted she never ordered forces to fire on protesters.

Prosecutors, however, have presented leaked audio they say proves she authorised lethal force.

Hasina was indicted alongside former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and ex–police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun.

Her lawyers have filed an urgent appeal to the UN, citing serious concerns over due process. Agencies