Bangladesh’s interim government has prohibited all activities of the Awami League party, previously led by Sheikh Hasina, who was removed from power during a mass uprising last year.
Asif Nazrul, the country’s legal advisor, announced on Saturday that a provisional cabinet headed by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus has banned the party’s online activities under anti-terrorism laws. This ban will remain in effect until the party and its leaders face trials related to the deaths of numerous students and protesters during the anti-government protests last July and August.
Nazrul explained that this decision aims to safeguard national security, protect participants of the July movement, and ensure the safety of plaintiffs and witnesses involved in ongoing court cases.
Additionally, he mentioned that the meeting expanded the investigation into political parties accused of murder amid the protests against Hasina, which have been dismissed by the International Court of Crimes.
The government plans to publicize the details of the ban shortly.
Since being ousted, Hasina and several senior members of her party have frequently faced murder charges. She has been in exile in India since August 5, following an attack by protesters right after her departure from Bangladesh.
A February report from the UN’s Human Rights Office indicated that up to 1,400 individuals might have lost their lives during the three-week wave of anti-Hasina protests.
This significant decision came after thousands of demonstrators, including supporters from a new student-led political party, marched in Dhaka, demanding the ban on the Awami League be enforced by the night’s end. Supporters from the Jamaat-e-Islami Party also participated prominently.
There has been no immediate comment from Hasina or her party regarding this development. However, Jatiya Nagorik, a student leader from the National Civic Party’s Nahid Islamic Party, expressed approval of the decision made by Yunus’s administration.
The student-led revolution marked the end of Hasina’s 15-year tenure, just three days after Yunus assumed the role of interim leader.
