Key points
- Decision follows days of protests led by student-driven National Citizen Party
- Ban to remain until trial of the party at International Crimes Tribunal is completed
- UN says up to 1,400 protesters were killed in July 2024 by Hasina’s government
ISLAMABAD: Bangladesh’s interim government has banned all activities of the Awami League, the political party of deposed former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, under the country’s Anti-Terrorism Act, citing national security concerns.
The decision, announced late Saturday, follows days of street protests led by the student-driven National Citizen Party, which emerged from last year’s uprising that toppled Hasina, according to Reuters.
Several parties, including Jamaat-e-Islami and other opposition groups, joined the demonstrations, demanding the Awami League be designated a terrorist organisation.
Trial
The ban would remain in place until the trial of the party and its leadership over the deaths of hundreds of protesters at the International Crimes Tribunal is completed, the government said in a statement.
According to the United Nations, up to 1,400 protesters died in July 2024 when Hasina’s government launched a brutal campaign to silence the opposition.
Hasina remains in self-imposed exile in India and has defied an arrest warrant from Dhaka over charges of crimes against humanity.
“It has been decided to ban the activities — including in cyberspace — of the Awami League under the Anti-Terrorism Act until the trial of the Awami League and its leaders ends,” Asif Nazrul, a government advisor on law and justice, told reporters.
“Sovereignty and security”
Bangladesh’s interim leader, Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, has led an interim government since Hasina was overthrown.
Nazrul said the decision was taken to ensure the country’s “sovereignty and security” and “the security of the protesters” along with safeguarding “the plaintiffs and the witnesses of the tribunal.”
Yunus’s administration also simultaneously approved an amendment to the country’s International Crimes Tribunal Act, allowing authorities to prosecute political parties and their affiliated bodies.
“Illegitimate”
The Awami League rejected the administration’s move, calling it “illegitimate.”
The ban comes a day after thousands of people rallied outside Yunus’s residence, demanding a ban on Hasina’s party.
On Thursday, former Awami League leader Abdul Hamid — also under investigation — successfully left the country.
At least three police officers responsible for overseeing airport arrivals and departures have been dismissed for negligence in the wake of Hamid’s departure, officials said.
