On Saturday, Bangladesh's interim government imposed a ban on the Awami League, the party of deposed former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, under the Anti-Terrorism Act. The interim government claimed national security concerns dictated the ban and before this decision made amendments to the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) Act, allowing collective prosecution of political groups for alleged crimes during their governance. This prohibition will be in place until the review process is finished regarding alleged deaths of protestors linked to the Awami League.
The action came on the heels of ongoing protests led by the National Citizen Party, a new organization that sprung from the anti-Hasina uprising of 2023. Islamist factions, including Jamaat-e-Islami, also joined the demands for the designation of the Awami League as a terrorist organization as demonstrators accused the party as not only subverting democracy but allowing others to enact violence against dissenters.
The amended ICT Act now allows for the prosecution of organisations, not just individuals, therefore facilitating trial of the Awami League collectively. In October the government declared a ban on its student wing, the Bangladesh Chhatra League, declaring it a "terrorist organisation" because of attacks on protesters.
The Awami League, formed in 1949, dismissed the ban as “illegal,” stating on social media that the “illegal government” has no authority to make decisions. The party is facing claims relating to a 2023 crackdown that estimated hundreds killed.