Bangladesh's Yunus govt bans Sheikh Hasina's Awami League
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Dhaka: Bangladesh's interim government on Saturday banned former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s party, the Awami League.
The Awami League is awaiting the outcome of a trial over its crackdown on protests in the country last year which according to the United Nations claimed the lives of 1,400 protesters, according to news agency AFP.
Hasina administration attempted to suppress the protests which eventually led to her ousting from power, before she ended up in self-imposed exile in India.
Asif Nazrul, a government advisor on law and justice, told media that the activities of the Awami League have been banned under the Anti-Terrorism Act.
The ban according to the official would continue until ‘the trial of the Awami League and its leaders ends’.
Asif Nazrul linked the decision to ban the party to ensuring the country’s ‘sovereignty and security’, alongside for the security of the protesters.
The interim government, led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, approved an amendment to International Crimes Tribunal Act, which would allow Bangladesh authorities to prosecute political parties and affiliated roots.
Following the reports of the ban, the Awami Leagues called the government’s move ‘illegitimate’.
Meanwhile, thousands of people marched a day earlier outside Yunu’s residence demanding a ban on Hasina’s party.
