A university in Finland has cancelled a venue reservation for a banned Awami League event scheduled for Monday following concerns over the participation of ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, according to email correspondence obtained by Daily Waadaa.

The event, titled “Bangladesh at a Turning Point: Democracy, Human Rights and Extremism”, was scheduled to take place at the Aalto University School of Business, with Hasina expected to join online as the chief guest.

Ahad Shikder, convenor of the National Citizen Party's (NCP) Finland diaspora unit, contacted university authorities, including professors and deans, urging them to review the programme and cancel it over concerns about human rights violations in Bangladesh.

In an email to Shikder, Mirka Elovaara, an Aalto University account manager responsible for event venue bookings, confirmed that the university had cancelled the room reservation.

Waadaa has obtained copies of the correspondence.

In his email to the university, Shikder said he had attached a formal letter outlining his concerns about Hasina's participation in the seminar. He also referred to reports by the United Nations and the European Union concerning human rights violations in Bangladesh and requested an official response clarifying the university's involvement in the event.

The cancellation came amid objections from several Finnish public representatives whose names appeared in promotional materials circulated by the Awami League and its activists.

Elina Kauppila, a Helsinki city councillor, said she had declined an invitation to the event weeks earlier but was surprised to find her name included in its promotional materials.

In a statement posted on Instagram, Kauppila said she had received emails from concerned people who believed she would participate in an event featuring Hasina remotely.

“Naturally, I am not participating—nor was I ever planning to participate—in this event,” she wrote.

Kauppila said she had contacted the organisers and demanded that her name be removed from the promotional materials.

She also questioned why an event featuring a former Bangladeshi prime minister convicted of human rights abuses was being organised on university premises.

Solie Eriksson, a Vantaa city councillor, also told Shikder in an email that she had never agreed to speak at the seminar.

“I will not attend and I do not support the event. I fully condemn the organizers’ actions,” Eriksson wrote.

Another individual listed as a participant, Shekhar Acharya, informed Shikder that several people from Finland who had been contacted about the programme had decided not to attend.

In an email obtained by Waadaa, Acharya said he and his colleagues had initially agreed to participate because they wanted to understand the state of democracy and human rights in Bangladesh.

However, they later withdrew after learning more about the speaker lineup and the programme's structure, he said.

Acharya added that they had not agreed to the arrangements that subsequently emerged and had intended to participate only as members of the audience.

He said maintaining political neutrality was essential for elected representatives and members of Finland's Social Democratic Party, particularly regarding international political issues.

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