Bangladesh officially bans Hasina-led Awami League under revised anti-terror law

Dhaka/New Delhi: Bangladesh on Monday issued a gazette notification, officially banning all activities of deposed premier Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League party under an overnight revised anti-terrorism law.

"The Home Ministry today issued the gazette notification banning all activities of the Awami League, its all front, associate and brotherly organisations,” Home Adviser Lt Gen (retd.) Jahangir Alam told a media briefing.

According to the notification, Awami League and its affiliated organisations were banned under the Anti-Terrorism Act 2025 until Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT-BD) completed the trial of its leaders and activists, said a Home Ministry official.

The official said Section 18 of the revised law empowered the government to declare any “entity” or organisation alongside an individual if they were found involved in terrorism based on reasonable grounds.

The original Anti-Terrorism Act of 2009 did not have the provision of banning the “entity”.

The Awami League leaders were charged with committing crimes against humanity over the deaths of hundreds of people during last year's anti-government protests by a student platform. The protests resulted in the ouster of Hasina's 16-year-long regime on August 5.

On Saturday, the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government’s Council of Advisers or the Cabinet slapped a ban on “all activities of Awami League”, including in cyberspace, under an anti-terrorism law.

It said the ban would stay in place until the special tribunal completes a trial of the party and its leaders.

The next day, the Awami League rejected the interim government's decision and vowed to carry on its activities in an appropriate manner.

Monday's development came as Bangladesh overnight promulgated an ordinance banning the publication or dissemination of statements of individuals or organisations charged under a revised terrorism law.

On Sunday night, President Mohammed Shahabuddin promulgated an ordinance amending the Anti-Terrorism Act, prohibiting any form of publicity, including press statements, social media content, or public gatherings in support of any individuals or entities tried in the act.

The revised law broadened the scope of restrictions by replacing the previous reference to "listed individuals or banned entities" with a more general phrase: "any individual or entity against whom action has been taken under sub-section (1) of Section 18" of the anti-terrorism law.

Formed in 1949, the Awami League led the movement for the autonomy of Bengalis in the then East Pakistan for decades and eventually led the Liberation War in 1971.