The Election Commission (EC) has urged voters to strictly protect the secrecy of postal ballots, cautioning that sharing any information, images, or videos of their vote or ballot on social media constitutes a punishable offence under the law.

In a message issued on Saturday, the commission said, “Protecting the secrecy of postal votes is both your right and responsibility.”

Reiterating that disclosure of ballot-related information on social platforms is a punishable act, the EC warned voters. “Refrain from making any such posts or shares, otherwise your NID card may be blocked and other legal actions may be taken.”

Salim Ahmad Khan, team leader of the Out-of-Country Voting System and Implementation (OCV-SDI) project for expatriate voter registration, also conveyed this directive.

The 13th Jatiya Sangsad election and the referendum on the July National Charter are scheduled for 12 February. Over the past 14 days until Friday, postal ballots have been dispatched to 5,52,479 expatriate voters residing in various countries worldwide to facilitate their participation.