TDS Desk:

The interim government on Saturday officially banned all activities of the Awami League under the Anti-terrorism Act until the end of trial of the party and its leaders at the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT).

The decision came through an emergency meeting of the Advisory Council presided over by Chief Advisor Dr Muhammad Yunus at the State Guest House Jamuna.

Law Adviser Asif Nazrul read out a statement announcing the decision at a press briefing after the meeting.

According to the statement, the meeting approved an amendment to the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) Act. The amendment allows the International Crimes Tribunal to punish any political party, its affiliates or support groups.

“In the meeting of the Advisory Council, it was decided that all activities of the Awami League, including those in cyberspace, will remain banned under the Anti-Terrorism Act until the trial of the party and its leaders at the International Crimes Tribunal is completed, for the sake of security and sovereignty of the country, safety of the leaders and activists of the July Movement, and protection of the plaintiffs and witnesses of the International Crimes Tribunal”.

A circular in this regard would be issued the next working day, the statement said.

In the meeting it was also decided that the July Proclamation would be finalised and published within the next 30 working days, the statement added.

Other advisers including Asif Mahmud, Mahfuz Alam and Syeda Rizwana were present at the briefing. However, they left the briefing venue immediately after reading out the statement.

The Awami League, founded in 1949, played a major role in the country’s Liberation Movement in 1971 and ruled Bangladesh for most of the post-2008 period.

However, in recent years, the party came under fire for widespread human rights abuses, crackdowns on opposition parties, suppression of media freedom, and election engineering, particularly the controversial 2024 general election that was boycotted by major opposition forces.

A mass uprising on August 5 last year overthrew the Sheikh Hasina regime. She was the supreme leader of the party.

The Advisory Council came up with the decisions in the face of a one-hour ultimatum issued at the fag end of a blockade programme.

Hasnat Abdullah, a leader of the National Citizen Party (NCP), gave the ultimatum to ban the Awami League as a political party.

At the blockade programme at the Shahbagh intersection in the capital, he said to the interim government: “I have given you another hour. If the announcement is not made within this one hour, we will occupy the place upto Bangla Motor and the Intercontinental will the centre of our position.”

He said: “We are not backing off anymore. We will leave the field after banning the Awami League. We will announce a stricter program.”

The blockade programme began at the Shahbagh intersection after 3:00 pm, to press for implementation of their three-point demand, including banning the Awami League.

Leaders and activists of the NCP, Islami Chhatra Shibir, United People’s Bangladesh (UP) and various other organisations associated with the July Uprising joined the programme.

The blockade preceded an overnight demonstration on the demand for outlawing the AL on charges of what they called its past fascist rule and recent incidents linked to its comeback plans. The protesters threatened to continue their agitation “for days or even months” if their demands went unheard. And the vows echoed through rallies in some other cities also.

The blockade began on Friday afternoon following a rally held near the entrance to Minto Road, close to the Chief Adviser’s residence at the state guesthouse Jamuna BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir addressing a ‘Youth Rally’ in Chattogram said, ” We don’t’ want to see the Awami League”.