Several political parties and groups in Bangladesh are protesting by surrounding the residence of Muhammad Yunus, the Chief Adviser to the interim government, demanding a ban on the Awami League
Bangladesh interim government on Saturday has taken a decision to ban Awami League, the oldest political party in the country. The press release further clarified that the decision was made to safeguard national security and sovereignty.
“The Advisory Council meeting discussed the need to protect the country’s security and sovereignty, the security of the leaders and activists of the July Movement, and the protection of the plaintiffs and witnesses of the International Crimes Tribunal until the trial of the Bangladesh Awami League and its leaders is completed A decision has been taken to ban all activities of the Awami League, including in cyberspace, under the Anti-Terrorism Act,” the statement said.
Several political parties and groups in Bangladesh, including the National Citizens Party (NCP), Jamaat-e-Islami and others, are protesting by surrounding the residence of Muhammad Yunus, the Chief Adviser to the interim government, demanding a ban on the Awami League.
Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted from power in a mass uprising on August 5 last year. She is currently in exile. After Sheikh Hasina’s fall, an interim government was formed under the leadership of Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus.
Almost all Awami League leaders and workers are currently in hiding. Although the party’s veteran leader, former President of Bangladesh, Abdul Hamid, is under the radar, he flew to Bangkok with his wife and brother-in-law early Thursday morning.
The protest, which began at 10 pm on Thursday in front of the Jamuna, the residence of the interim government’s Chief Adviser, demanding a ban on the Awami League, is still ongoing.
NCP’s convener, Nahid Islam, said, “The first responsibility of the interim government was to ban the Awami League. We have made that demand both inside and outside the government. But today, nine months later, we have had to take to the streets again to ban the Awami League.”
The Advisory Council also resolved to finalise and publish the July Declaration within the next 30 working days. Hasina and many of her senior party colleagues have been accused of murder in many cases after her ouster last year. Ms. Hasina has been in exile in India since Aug. 5 as her official residence was stormed by protesters soon after she left the country.
The United Nations human rights office in a report said in February that up to 1,400 people may have been killed during three weeks of anti-Hasina protest. Saturday night’s dramatic decision came after thousands of protesters, including supporters of a newly formed political party by students, took to the streets in Dhaka and issued an ultimatum to ban the Awami League party by Saturday night. The members of the student wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami party also prominently took part in the protest.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Awami League, headed by ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, rejected the interim government’s decision to ban the activities of the party. Awami League will conduct its activities, the party said in a statement late on Saturday.
“The people of Bangladesh are shocked and outraged by the illegal and unconstitutional occupying fascist Yunus government’s announcement to ban the activities of the Awami League”, the statement said. “We reject this decision of the fascist dictator Yunus government with hatred and strongly condemn and protest against it”, the statement said.
“At the same time, we express firm commitment that the Bangladesh Awami League will continue to conduct its activities properly, ignoring this decision of the fascist Yunus government”, the statement said. Earlier, the cabinet of the Bangladesh interim government, headed by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus, took a decision to ban all activities of the Awami League, including cyberspace, under the Anti-Terrorism Act.
“Today will be marked as a black day in the history of Bangladesh. The activities of the Awami League, the party under whose leadership Bangladesh was established as an independent and sovereign state, have been banned in the independent country by the undemocratic fascist Yunus government, which has no mandate from the people”, said the statement posted on Awami League’s Facebook page.
“This proves that the fascist Yunus government wants to turn the soil of Bangladesh into a fertile ground for anti-independence evil forces and extremist groups”, it added. “Banning the activities of the Awami League on Bengali soil means banishing the spirit, ideals, and fundamentals of the Liberation War and giving vent to the naked aggression of the anti-liberationists”.
“Bangladesh Awami League is the oldest and most traditional political organization in this territory, with 75 years of history, and an institution trusted by the masses. Bangladesh Awami League has played a leading role in all the great achievements of the Bengali nation, including the establishment of the demand for language and independence”, the statement said.
