Lord Carlyle Warns Bangladesh Ahead of Next Election

In a statement on Thursday (6 November), Lord Alex Carlyle, a member of the UK House of Lords, warned ahead of Bangladesh’s upcoming national elections that all parties must remain vigilant so that a controversial election, as seen in the past, does not happen again. At the same time, he said that the ongoing International Crimes Tribunal under Sheikh Hasina’s government needs “urgent reform” to lift it to international standards.

Lord Carlyle said: “The current situation in Bangladesh is a matter of deep concern for the international community. Since 2024, political instability has given rise to multiple crises which require rapid resolution.”

The statement comes at a time when the banned Awami League has written to the United Nations, calling for the withdrawal of UN technical assistance in the forthcoming 13th national election.

After coming to power in 2008 in a landslide victory, the Awami League governed for fifteen and a half continuous years. However, on 5 August 2024 a popular uprising led to the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government, and she sought refuge in India. Two of the three national elections held under her rule were boycotted by opposition parties, raising questions and drawing concern from Western countries including the United States and the United Kingdom.

Lord Carlyle said: “In the upcoming national election, past mistakes must not be repeated. All efforts must be made to ensure the election is participatory, free and fair, and it must be conducted under the supervision of independent international observers. Every segment of Bangladeshi society must be part of this process — in the interest of restoring democratic institutions and the spirit of democracy.”

A United Nations report stated that before the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government, nearly 1,400 people were killed and several thousand injured in the crackdown on the movement; it said that force was used “on the instructions of the highest level of government.”

For the trial of those events, top leaders of the Awami League including Sheikh Hasina are now being tried by the International Crimes Tribunal. The interim government led by Muhammad Yunus has amended laws to allow the Awami League to be tried as a party.

Lord Carlyle said: “The International Crimes Tribunal is in operation, but urgent reform is needed to bring this court up to international standards. The trials must be transparent, just, and fully compliant with the constitution and the law.”

He added: “Minority communities are now under severe pressure. Their security must be assured by both the state and the opposition. There has also been disorder among law-enforcement agencies, so the rule of law must now be re-established as a matter of urgency.”