The deposed Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, on Friday (January 23, 2026) demanded that the interim government in Dhaka, led by Chief Adviser Mohammed Yunus, allow her party, the Awami League, to participate in the upcoming February 12 election.
Ms. Hasina’s recorded audio message was played at a press conference organised by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of South Asia, marking the first time Ms. Hasina had addressed a collective media platform since arriving in India on August 5, 2024, after a student-led uprising toppled her government.
“If he talks about democracy and means it, then why not allow the Awami League to contest the elections? Let the people decide whom they want,” said Ms. Hasina in a speech delivered in both English and Bengali.
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Ms. Hasina was sentenced to death by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Dhaka for her role in the July–August 2024 crackdown against protesters who demanded her resignation following a movement that began over government quota in education and employment. Along with Ms. Hasina, former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal was also sentenced to death in a verdict delivered by the ICT on November 17, 2025. The interim government has banned the Awami League and its student wing, the Chhatra League.
