Bangladesh’s caretaker government, led by Muhammad Yunus, declared a ban on the Awami League on Saturday night under the nation’s anti-terrorism act. The action follows the party’s removal during the July 2024 revolution.
A formal notice gazetteing the ban would be published on the following workday, stated an official notification released by the office of Yunus. In a statement issued as a “statement of the council of advisers,” the move was made with a view to protecting national sovereignty and security.
The ban will continue until trials of the Awami League and its leadership at Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) are completed. The trials target crimes committed by party leaders while in power.
The interim cabinet also signed off on amendments to the ICT law, which allows the tribunal to try political parties in their entirety, along with their front organisations and allied groups.
The statement added that the move also seeks to guarantee the security of July uprising leaders and activists, complainants, and witnesses attending ongoing trials.
Established in 1949, the Awami League was the key force behind Bangladesh’s fight for independence and a driving force of the nation’s 1971 Liberation War.
