Up to 1,400 protesters died in July 2024 when Hasina\u2019s govt launched brutal campaign to silence opposition
\n Dhaka
\nBangladesh\u2019s interim government on Saturday banned the Awami League, the political party of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, pending the outcome of a trial over its crackdown on mass protests that prompted her ouster last year.
\nAccording to the United Nations, up to 1,400 protesters died in July 2024 when Hasina\u2019s government launched a brutal campaign to silence the opposition.
\nHasina remains in self-imposed exile in India and has defied an arrest warrant from Dhaka over charges of crimes against humanity.
\n\u201cIt has been decided to ban the activities \u2014 including in cyberspace \u2014 of the Awami League under the Anti-Terrorism Act until the trial of the Awami League and its leaders ends,\u201d Asif Nazrul, a government advisor on law and justice, told reporters.
\nBangladesh\u2019s interim leader, Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, has led an interim government since Hasina was overthrown.
\nNazrul said the decision was taken to ensure the country\u2019s \u201csovereignty and security\u201d and \u201cthe security of the protesters\u201d along with safeguarding \u201cthe plaintiffs and the witnesses of the tribunal.\u201d
\nYunus\u2019s administration also simultaneously approved an amendment to the country\u2019s International Crimes Tribunal Act, allowing authorities to prosecute political parties and their affiliated bodies.
\nThe Awami League rejected the administration\u2019s move, calling it \u201cillegitimate.\u201d
\nThe ban comes a day after thousands of people rallied outside Yunus\u2019s residence, demanding a ban on Hasina\u2019s party.
\nOn Thursday, former Awami League leader Abdul Hamid \u2014 also under investigation \u2014 successfully left the country.
\nAt least three police officers responsible for overseeing airport arrivals and departures have been dismissed for negligence in the wake of Hamid\u2019s departure, officials said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Up to 1,400 protesters died in July 2024 when Hasina\u2019s govt launched brutal campaign to silence opposition Dhaka Bangladesh\u2019s interim government on Saturday banned the Awami League, the political party of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, pending the outcome of a trial over its crackdown on mass protests that prompted her ouster last year. According […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":477796,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-477778","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n