Bangladesh bans ousted PM’s party

DHAKA: Bangladesh’s interim government on Saturday banned the Awami League, the political party of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, pending the outcome of a trial over its crackdown on mass protests that prompted her ouster last year.

According to the United Nations, up to 1,400 protesters died in July 2024 when Hasina’s government launched a brutal campaign to silence the opposition.

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

“It has been decided to ban the activities—including in cyberspace—of the Awami League under the Anti-Terrorism Act until the trial of the Awami League and its leaders ends,” Asif Nazrul, a government advisor on law and justice, told reporters.

Bangladesh’s interim leader, Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, has led an interim government since Hasina was overthrown.

Nazrul said the decision was taken to ensure the country’s “sovereignty and security” and “the security of the protesters” along with safeguarding “the plaintiffs and the witnesses of the tribunal.”

Yunus’s administration also simultaneously approved an amendment to the country’s International Crimes Tribunal Act, allowing authorities to prosecute political parties and their affiliated bodies.

The Awami League rejected the administration’s move, calling it “illegitimate.”

The ban comes a day after thousands of people rallied outside Yunus’s residence, demanding a ban on Hasina’s party. On Thursday, former Awami League leader Abdul Hamid—also under investigation—successfully left the country.

At least three police officers responsible for overseeing airport arrivals and departures have been dismissed for negligence in the wake of Hamid’s departure, officials said.