The former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, submitted a complaint to the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians in Geneva, Switzerland. The complaint raises concern about serious ongoing human rights violations against Sheikh Hasina and members of her party, the Bangladesh Awami League.
Sheikh Hasina was convicted by the International Crimes Tribunal Bangladesh and sentenced to death on 17 November 2025. The complaint alleges that the proceedings against her were politically motivated and manifestly unfair. She was tried in her absence by a panel of judges with clear links to her political opponents. Intimidation of lawyers connected with the Awami League meant she was not represented by counsel of her choosing and was not able to communicate with the lawyer ultimately appointed to represent her. The imposition of the death penalty following a manifestly unfair trial is a matter of further serious concern. The complaint further raises concerns about the banning of the Awami League by the Interim Administration of Bangladesh in May 2025. This meant that the Awami League was unable to participate in the February 2026 General Election in Bangladesh, won by the BNP which has itself extended the ban. The ban disenfranchises a large proportion of the population of Bangladesh and calls into question the legitimacy of any election in which the Awami League is unable to participate. The complaint explains how the ban amounts to violations of Articles 19 (freedom of expression), 21 (peaceful assembly), 22 (freedom of association) and 25 (political rights) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which Bangladesh is party. Finally, the complaint raises concern about ongoing attacks on members of the Awami League and those associated with it, and the apparent blanket immunity that has been offered to those who carry out such attacks. The complaint also highlights the sweeping arrest of Awami League leaders, with over 100 former MP’s remaining in custody for over two years without trial. Further, where there have been trials, the outcome has, as with Sheikh Hasina, been the imposition of the death penalty.
The Inter-Parliamentary Union Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians is the only international complaints mechanism specifically mandated to protect and defend members of parliament who face abuse and mistreatment. Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland and it is made up of 183 Member Parliaments and 15 Associate Members.
The complaint was submitted on behalf of Sheikh Hasina by Steven Powles KC and calls upon the Committee to initiate an independent review of the persecution of the Awami League and those associated with it, for the lifting of the ban of the Awami League and for free, fair and all-inclusive elections in Bangladesh.