Dhaka:
Bangladesh on Monday officially disbanded deposed premier Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League under an overnight revised anti-terrorism law, two days after Muhammad Yunus’s interim government slapped a ban on its “activities” under the previous version of the law.
“A gazette notification has been issued in this regard today,” home adviser Lt Gen (retd) Jahangir Alam told a media briefing on Monday.
A home ministry official said as per the notification, the Awami League and its affiliated organisations were banned under the Anti-Terrorism Act 2025 until Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT-BD) completed the trial of its leaders and activists.
He said Section 18 of the revised law empowered the government to declare any “entity” or organisation alongside an individual if they were found involved in terrorism based on reasonable grounds.
The original Anti-Terrorism Act of 2009 did not have the provision of banning the “entity”.
The Election Commission (EC), meanwhile, said it scrapped the Awami League’s registration as well, disqualifying the party from contesting polls.
“Today, the Ministry of Home Affairs banned the activities of Bangladesh Awami League and its affiliated organisations. In continuation of this, the Election Commission decided to suspend the registration of Awami League,” EC secretary Akhtar Ahmed said hours after the government notification.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin two days back told reporters, “We will have to decide to go with the spirit of the present Bangladesh.” The Awami League leaders were charged with committing crimes against humanity over the deaths of hundreds of people during last year’s anti-government protests by a student platform. The protests resulted in the ouster of Hasina’s 16-year-long regime on August 5.
On Saturday, the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government’s Council of Advisers or the cabinet slapped a ban on “all activities of Awami League”, including in cyberspace, under an anti-terrorism law.
It said the ban would stay in place until the special tribunal completes a trial of the party and its leaders.
The next day, the Awami League rejected the interim government’s decision and vowed to carry on its activities in an appropriate manner.
Monday’s development came as Bangladesh overnight promulgated an ordinance banning the publication or dissemination of statements of individuals or organisations charged under a revised terrorism law.
On Sunday night, President Mohammed Shahabuddin promulgated an ordinance amending the Anti-Terrorism Act, prohibiting any form of publicity, including press statements, social media content, or public gatherings in support of any individuals or entities tried in the act.
The president signed the draft hours after the Council of Advisers, effectively the cabinet with Chief Adviser Yunus in the chair approved the ordinance to amend the Anti-Terrorism Act-2009 to ban all activities of a particular entity.
The interim administration late Saturday slapped the ban on Awami League saying it would stay in place until a special tribunal completes a trial of the party and its leaders.
The revised law prohibits any form of publicity, including press statements, social media content, or public gatherings in support of such individuals or entities.
It also broadened the scope of restrictions by replacing the previous reference to “listed individuals or banned entities” with a more general phrase: “any individual or entity against whom action has been taken under sub-section (1) of Section 18” of the anti-terrorism law.
The Awami League government was toppled on August 5, 2024 as around 1,400 people were killed between July 15 and August 15 — with many of them victims of retaliatory actions on Awami League supporters or policemen — according to a UN rights office report.
Hasina and most of her senior colleagues in the party and past regime were accused of committing “crimes against humanity” to gouge protestors during last year’s student-led movement through mass killing or previous crimes like enforced disappearances.
Formed in 1949, the Awami League led the movement for the autonomy of Bengalis in the then East Pakistan for decades and eventually led the Liberation War in 1971. PTI AR SKY SKY
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