Bangladesh's Awami League Challenges Interim Govt's Election Conduct Amid Allegations of Bias and Repression

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In a scathing critique, senior leaders of Bangladesh's ruling Awami League have accused the interim government of failing to ensure fair elections and blocking their party from participating in the upcoming polls. The caretaker administration, led by Muhammad Yunus, has been criticized for its handling of minority rights and human rights, with Awami League leaders pointing to a recent UN Human Rights Office report on deaths and violence during protests in July-August 2024 as biased and one-sided. Hasan Mahmud and Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury, senior Awami League leaders, addressed the media in New Delhi, marking the first time they have spoken publicly since the fall of Hasina's government in 2024. The party's leaders, including former foreign minister Mahmud and education minister Chowdhury, have been living in exile in India and Europe. The Awami League leaders expressed concerns that the interim government's decision to bar their party from the election would deny the people of Bangladesh a free and fair vote. Mahmud stated that the election should be held under a neutral caretaker government, as the current administration is 'completely hostile' towards them. He accused the interim government of taking revenge on the Awami League and questioned the possibility of a level playing field for his party. The Awami League leaders also criticized the interim government for failing to protect minority rights, citing the case of Dipu Chandra Das, a Hindu man who was lynched and set on fire after being accused of blasphemy. They also pointed out the failure to prevent the looting and burning of homes and temples of Hindus and the 'indemnity' given to those accused of killing Awami League workers. The party's leaders also questioned the UN Human Rights Office report, which estimated that 1,400 people were killed during the protests in July-August 2024. They claimed that the report was 'totally fabricated, biased, one-sided, and meant to protect the regime' of Yunus. Mahmud and Chowdhury also criticized the UN human rights chief Volker Türk for convening a team to carry out a probe without a Security Council resolution. The Awami League leaders acknowledged that there were excesses by the security forces during the protests but pointed out that the UN report made no mention of the hundreds of police personnel killed or reported missing during the demonstrations, or the attacks on Awami League workers and leaders following the ouster of Hasina's government. India has not acted on Bangladesh's request for Hasina's extradition, and the Indian government has called for 'free, fair, inclusive, and participatory elections' in Bangladesh. The Awami League leaders have expressed their readiness to participate in the election and return to Bangladesh, but only under a neutral caretaker government.