Dhaka: The interim government of Bangladesh has prohibited all activities of the Awami League, the political party of the deposits Former Prime Minister Sheikh HasinaUnder the country's anti-terrorism law, citing national security problems.
The decision, announced late Saturday (May 10), follows Street protests days Led by the National Citizen Party focused on students, which emerged from the uprising last year which overthrew Hasina.
Several Islamist and right parties, including Jamaat-E-Islami and other opposition groups, have joined the demonstrations, demanding that the Awami League be appointed a terrorist organization.
The ban would remain in place until the party's trial and its leadership on the death of hundreds of demonstrators in the international crimes court are completed, the government said in a statement.
The government also announced an amendment to the ICT Act, allowing the court to continue not only individuals but also political parties and organizations. The change opens the way so that the Awami League is judged as a collective entity for alleged crimes committed during its stay in power.
The Awami League, founded in 1949, rejected the decision as illegitimate, publishing on its official Facebook page: “All decisions of the illegal government are illegal.”
The country has experienced increasing tensions and demonstrations in recent months, after deadly demonstrations have forced Hasina to flee to India in August and an interim government led by Nobel Peace Muhammad Yunus winner.
Yunus promised reforms and said the survey could be delayed until 2026.
The troubles began in July with student protests against public sector employment quotas, but quickly turned into one of the deadliest periods of political violence since the independence of Bangladesh in 1971.
In October, the government prohibited the student wing of the Awami League, Bangladesh Chhatra League, calling it “terrorist organization” for its role in violent attacks against the demonstrators.
