Nobel winner Narges Mohammadi has been handed a new seven-and-a-half-year sentence by a court in Mashhad. Her supporters claim the sentencing occurred while she was on a hunger strike to protest prison conditions.
Unlike the parliamentary ballots, the pink referendum ballots for the Feb 12 vote reportedly lack serial numbers. Critics argue this "traceability gap" makes an independent audit of the result impossible.
U.S.-based rights groups warn that Bangladesh’s February 2026 election risks becoming non-inclusive, amid allegations of minority persecution, repression of opposition, and democratic backsliding.
In a stinging joint statement, 707 Supreme Court lawyers have declared a boycott of the Feb 12 election. They allege the process is an "artificial arrangement" designed to legitimise an illegal grip on power.
Thousands of government employees on election duty are opting not to vote via postal ballot. They claim the current system’s lack of safeguards makes it easy to identify their political leanings, risking future harassment.
