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Selina Hayat Ivy, a prominent leader of the Awami League and the former mayor of Narayanganj City Corporation, was released from Kashimpur jail on Wednesday night.
Ivy's release marks another notable instance of a senior party figure securing bail, following the earlier release of former parliament speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury. Following her release, Ivy expressed gratitude toward the current administration and advocated for an inclusive approach to governance. "I want everyone together to establish a humane government," Ivy told reporters, adding a plea for the government to show mercy toward other innocent individuals still held in custody. Ivy was initially arrested at her residence during an overnight operation in September last year. Her detention occurred during the tenure of the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, which had assumed power following the flight of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India during the July-August 2024 student-led uprising. Following the February 12 election and the subsequent formation of a government led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Ivy is among the few Awami League figures to have successfully obtained bail through the court system. As the new government settles in, international observers are beginning to weigh in on the status of the Awami League, whose political activities remain banned. The International Crisis Group (ICG) issued a statement on Thursday urging the new administration to address the party's future, noting that the ongoing ban is unlikely to be sustainable given the Awami League's historical significance in Bangladeshi politics. "The BNP government will also have to address the politically sensitive question of the Awami League's future. Given its pivotal role in Bangladesh politics since independence, the party's temporary ban is not sustainable over the longer term," said Thomas Kean, Senior Consultant on Bangladesh and Myanmar, International Crisis Group. (ANI)
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