Bangladesh Locks Sheikh Hasina’s NID, Bars Her from Voting

The Bangladesh Election Commission (EC) has confirmed that the national identity card (NID) of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina has been “locked,” effectively preventing her from voting in the upcoming general elections scheduled for February 2026.

“Anyone whose NID has been locked cannot vote from abroad. Her (Hasina’s) NID is locked,” EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed told reporters on Wednesday at Nirbachon Bhavan in Dhaka.

According to reports from UNB and the Dhaka Tribune, NIDs of several family members of Hasina have also been blocked. These include her younger sister Sheikh Rehana, son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, and daughter Saima Wazed Putul. Rehana’s children — Tulip Rizwana Siddiq, Azmina Siddiq, and Radwan Mujib Siddiq Bobby — along with Hasina’s former security adviser retired Major General Tarique Ahmed Siddique, his wife Shahin Siddique, and their daughter Bushra Siddique are also reportedly barred from voting.

The EC clarified that Bangladeshis who fled abroad “to evade justice” could still vote if their NIDs remain active.

Hasina’s Awami League government was ousted on August 5, 2024, following a violent student-led uprising that forced her to flee to India. Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus was appointed Chief Adviser of the interim government and subsequently suspended all Awami League activities pending trials of Hasina and senior party leaders.

Hasina is currently being tried in absentia at the Bangladesh International Crimes Tribunal, where prosecutors have sought capital punishment for alleged atrocities during the July 2024 uprising.

Meanwhile, many senior Awami League leaders remain underground or in exile, while properties linked to the party — including the 32 Dhanmondi residence of Hasina’s father and Bangladesh’s founding leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman — were attacked and vandalized.