Awami League banned
The interim government has decided to ban the Awami League party of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina under the Anti-Terrorism Act, bowing to demands from the National Citizen Party (NCP), Jamaat-e-Islami, and other religious-based political parties.
It is also amending the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act to initiate the trial of the party for its alleged role in suppressing the student-led mass uprising.
The announcement came at a press conference on Saturday night after an urgent meeting of the Advisory Council headed by Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus.
Law Advisor Asif Nazrul outlined the three key decisions made during the meeting, noting that an official notification regarding these will be issued on the next working day.
In the meeting, it was also decided to outlaw all activities of the Awami League, including operations in cyberspace, under the Anti-Terrorism Act until a verdict is reached.
The government cited concerns over national security, sovereignty, the safety of activists involved in the July Uprising, and the protection of the witnesses and complainants in the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT).
Nazrul said the final version of the July declaration would be published within the next 30 working days.
Reading from an official statement, he explained that the amendment to the International Crimes Tribunal law would enable the tribunal to hold political parties and their affiliated groups accountable for any crimes committed.
As soon as news of the decision to ban the Awami League spread, protesters gathered at Shahbagh and the InterContinental Dhaka hotel intersection burst into cheers.
Many shouted slogans saying: “News just came — Awami League has been banned.”
The emergency meeting was called following a two-day blockade at Shahbagh and overnight protests outside the chief advisor's residence in demand of banning the Awami League.
It began at 8:30pm at the State Guest House Jamuna and continued until 10pm.
Earlier, on Thursday night, political tensions rose over former president Md Abdul Hamid’s departure from Bangladesh, a group of protesters led by Hasnat Abdullah, chief organiser of the NCP’s southern unit, staged a sit-in outside Yunus’s residence.
