Govt attains power to ban party, person, activity

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus approves the draft of Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Ordinance 2025 at a special meeting of the Council of Advisers at the State Guest House Jamuna on Sunday. — Focus Bangla Photo

Parties, individuals or their activity can be banned for involvement in terrorist acts as a latest ordinance empowers the government to take such action.

The Council of Advisers of the post-uprising government Sunday approved the draft Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Ordinance 2025 with such provisions, in the wake of demonstrations for proscribing the Awami League of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

The council gave the approval to the ordinance in a special meeting with Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus in the chair at the state guesthouse Jamuna in Dhaka, said a press release issued by the Chief Adviser's Press Wing.

According to the summary of the meeting, the Anti-Terrorism Act 2009 was enacted to make provisions for the prevention of certain terrorist acts and ensure their effective punishment.

"To meet the purpose of the act, the government may, on the basis of reasonable grounds that any person or entity is involved in terrorist acts, list such person in the Schedule or declare the entity prohibited and list it in the Schedule by issuing official gazette notifications."

However, there is no provision in the existing law regarding the prohibition of the activities of any entity.

"Since the matter needs to be clarified, it is appropriate and necessary to further amend the Anti-Terrorism Act 2009 to make it time-befitting."

In such context, the Anti-Terrorism Act has been amended to prohibit the activities of any entity, make necessary adaptations and include provisions prohibiting the promotion in online and social media.

The amended law may be issued in the form of an ordinance tomorrow (Monday), the press release says.

Meanwhile, President Mohammed Shahabuddin has promulgated an ordinance amending the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act 1973 to empower the tribunals to try a political party facing charges of genocide and crimes against humanity, as well as punish it if found guilty.

A gazette notification in this regard was published on Saturday night.

The ordinance has inserted a clause and a section in the Act. Clause bbb would be inserted after clause bb of Section 2, and Section 20B would be inserted after Section 20A of the Act, according to the notification.

Clause bbb says, "Organisation means any political party, or any entity subordinate to, or affiliated to, or associated with such a party, or any group of individuals which, in the opinion of the Tribunal, propagates, supports, endorses, facilities, or engages in the activities of such a party or entity."

Section 20B says, "Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act or any other law for the time being in force, if it appears to the Tribunal that any organisation has committed, ordered, attempted, aided, incited, abetted, conspired, facilitated, or otherwise assisted the commission of any of the crimes under sub-section 2 of the Section 3 of this Act, the Tribunal shall have the power to suspend or prohibit its activities, ban the organisation, suspend or cancel its registration or licence, and confiscate its properties."

Amidst protests demanding a ban on the Awami League, the amendments have been made into law to try the party. An official order banning the party is set to be issued today (Monday).

The interim government at an emergency Advisory Council meeting held on Saturday night decided to ban the activities of the Awami League under the anti-terror laws.

During the meeting, the council also approved the proposals to amend the ICT law, allowing the tribunal to punish any political party, its affiliated organisations, or supporter groups.

"In the Advisory Council meeting, it was decided that until the trial of the Bangladesh Awami League and its leaders at the International Crimes Tribunal is completed, all activities of the Awami League, including in cyberspace, will be banned under the Anti Terrorism Act," said Law Adviser Asif Nazrul after the meeting ended at around 11pm on Saturday.

He said the decision was made "in order to protect national security and sovereignty, ensure the safety of the leaders and activists of the July uprising, and safeguard plaintiffs and witnesses of the International Crimes Tribunal."

The Awami League government fell during a mass uprising on August 5 last year, forcing former prime minister Sheikh Hasina to flee to India. Since then, demands have been raised by different quarters to ban the party in the country.

Protests seeking the ban intensified recently, with the newly formed National Citizen Party (NCP) organising sit-ins in front of the chief adviser's residence on Thursday night, then blocking Shahbagh in the capital.

Leaders and activists of Jamaat-e-Islami, United Peoples Bangladesh, July Mancha, Inqilab Mancha, Khelafat Majlis, Hefazat-e-Islam, and other political and student organisations joined the protests.

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