Bangladesh: Yunus government bans former PM Sheikh Hasina's Awami League party, its affiliates

The interim government of Bangladesh under Muhammad Yunus on Monday issued a gazette notification banning all activities of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's party, Awami League and its affiliate organisations. The ban is imposed under the Anti-Terrorism Act until the trial of the party and its leaders in the Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) is completed.

The Public Security Division under the country's Home Ministry issued the gazette notification with Joint Secretary Ziauddin Ahmed confirming the development.

The ban included all activities, including any kind of publication, campaign in media, online and social media, procession, meeting, gathering, conference, etc.

"The government has sufficient evidence that the Bangladesh Awami League and all its subsidiary, associate and fraternal organisations are involved in various criminal activities with the aim of destabilising and rendering the state ineffective, and are engaged in various illegal activities and conspiracies similar to terrorist organisations with the aim of spreading fear in the public mind," the notification stated.

Bangladesh Chhatra League, the student wing of Awami League, was banned in October 2024 and declared a terrorist organisation. The other associate organisations include Bangladesh Mahila League, Bangladesh Awami Jubo League, Awami Swecchashebok League, Awami Ainjibee Parishad, Bangladesh Tanti League and the Swadhinata Chikitsak Parishad.

On Sunday, the interim government promulgated an ordinance amending the Anti-terrorism Act, including a new provision imposing ban on persons or any entities involved in violence and terrorism.

As per the previous provision of the act, to meet the purpose of the act, the government may, on the basis of reasonable grounds that any person or entity is involved in terrorist acts, list such a person in the Schedule or declare the entity prohibited and list it in the Schedule by issuing official gazette notifications.

However, earlier there was no provision in the law regarding the prohibition of the activities of any entity. The new amendment allowed the government to impose a ban on activities of any entity, Bangladeshi leading daily, Prothom Alo reported.

Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin had said earlier in the day that the Election Commission will decide on Awami League’s registration once it receives the official gazette notification.

"You can't make decisions based on media reports. Once the gazette is issued, we will sit and decide. Let the notification come," CEC said in response to a question on whether Awami League's registration will be cancelled once the gazette is issued.

Reports suggest that last week, several student groups, radical Islamist parties, and leaders of the newly formed National Citizen Party came to the streets, first staging a sit-in in front of the Chief Advisor's residence and later gathering at Shahbag, Dhaka, demanding an immediate ban on the Awami League.

Analysts reckon the latest developments as an extension of the political vendetta pursued by the interim government led by Yunus against former PM Hasina and her supporters with a larger plan of keeping Awami League away from taking part in the national elections.

The unceremonious exit of Hasina last August was globally seen as a major setback to the democratic set-up in the country. The interim government has also received massive criticism for providing shelter to radical and extremist Islamic outfits.