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Last Updated:May 12, 2025, 18:33 IST
Bangladesh’s interim government has invoked multiple sections of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 2009 (amended in 2013) to officially ban all affiliates of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League
Bangladesh Former PM Sheikh Hasina (L) and interim leader Muhammad Yunus (R). (Image: AFP)
In an unprecedented move, the interim government of Bangladesh — led by Muhammad Yunus as Chief Adviser — has invoked multiple sections of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 2009 (amended in 2013) to officially ban all affiliates of the ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League, including its student and youth wings, the Jubo League and Chhatra League. News18 has exclusively accessed the formal notification, issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs on the afternoon of 12 May.
The order cites Section 18(1) of the Act and provisions empowering the government to proscribe organisations involved in promoting extremism, violence, and threats to public security.
The notification — marked SRO No. 137 Act/2025 — outlines an exhaustive list of charges against the Awami League and its various wings, including allegations of “unlawful force, intimidation, arson, abduction, murder, arms possession, extortion, and subversive propaganda".
These actions, according to the government circular, have “consistently violated the country’s constitutional provisions, incited unrest, and undermined state institutions". The interim government’s decision represents an extraordinary act of internal political decapitation.
Awami League Falls To Its Own Act
The Anti-Terrorism Act, 2009, under which the Awami League has now been banned, was originally formulated and later amended by Sheikh Hasina’s government to strengthen the country’s anti-terror legislation. Enacted in 2009 and amended in 2012 and 2013, the Act had faced significant criticism from civil society groups, who labelled it an instrument of “repression".
For decades, the Chhatra League and Jubo League have functioned as the Awami League’s primary mobilising arms and street-level enforcers. Born out of the post-liberation structure of the erstwhile ruling party, they have long been embedded in university campuses, urban neighbourhoods, and trade hubs across the country.
In a notable departure from past government approaches, the interim administration has not merely dissolved these bodies but banned them outright under provisions typically applied to terrorist organisations and militant outfits. “The government has enough evidence to prove its stand," stated the notification.
The ban extends to all digital activity, fundraising, organisational meetings, and propaganda. Police and intelligence agencies have also been instructed to monitor for continued operations under alternate names or via affiliated NGOs and community networks.
Location : First Published:News world Framed By Hasina, Now Used Against Her: Bangladesh Bans Awami League Under Anti-Terror Law
