Thousands rally in Bangladesh seeking ban on former PM’s party

DHAKA: Thousands of people rallied on Friday outside the residence of Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus, demanding he ban the political party of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Yunus, 84, has led an interim government since Hasina was overthrown by student-led mass protests in August 2024 and fled into exile as crowds stormed her palace.

Friday’s rally came after the sudden departure of Abdul Hamid, a former leader of Hasina’s Awami League party, from Bangladesh early Thursday.

A crowd, mainly made up of young people, had started gathering outside Yunus’ residence on Thursday night.

Hasnat Abdullah, the chief organiser of the newly formed National Citizen’s Party, said the demonstration would continue until their demands were met.

“Sheikh Hasina robbed the people of Bangladesh of their democratic rights. She manipulated the system to prevent any real opposition from participating in the election,” Kamrul said.

“We saw Abdul Hamid leave the country safely. The actions of certain advisers are highly suspicious. The delay in justice appears to be part of a broader plan to bring back the fallen dictator and her party,” he added.

Hasina remains in self-imposed exile in India and has defied an arrest warrant from Dhaka over charges of crimes against humanity.

According to the United Nations, up to 1,400 protesters died in July when Hasina’s government launched a brutal crackdown on the opposition, casualties for which she and Hamid are being investigated.

At least three police officers responsible for overseeing airport arrivals and departures have been dismissed for negligence, according to officials, after Hamid’s departure. While citizens are generally barred from assembling outside the chief adviser’s residence, the student demonstrators were allowed through. The government said on Friday it was seriously considering the demand raised by various quarters to ban the Awami League.

“The government has begun communicating with different political parties to reach a final decision on the matter.

It has reviewed UN-documented evidence of atrocities committed by the Awami League and its affiliates,” the statement said.