All AL activities banned, Hasina probe charge submitted

All activities of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina's Bangladesh Awami League party and its front organisations are banned until their trial completes as the interim government Monday issued gazette of proscription to this effect.

In a fast development on the day, the investigation agency of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Dhaka submitted a probe report against the fugitive ex-premier and two others bringing charges against them for committing "crimes against humanity" during the July-August mass uprising last year.

The two others are former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun.

They have been accused of "superior command responsibility".

"Their involvement has been identified in at least five types of crimes against humanity during the July-August mass uprising," it is stated in the probe report.

The government gazette notification says all kinds of activities of the Bangladesh Awami League and its affiliated organisations are prohibited under provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act until the International Crimes Tribunal completes the trial of the party and its leaders.

Public Security Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs issued the notification, signed by its Senior Secretary Nasimul Ghani, saying it will come into effect "immediately".

The notification states that all activities, including any form of publication, media or social- media campaigning, processions, meetings, gatherings, and conferences by the leaders and activists of the Bangladesh Awami League, as well as all its affiliated and fraternal organisations, have been "banned", until the trial is concluded at the International Crimes Tribunal.

Further stated is that since the formation of the government on January 6, 2009, until it was ousted from power following a student uprising on August 5, 2024, the Bangladesh Awami League, along with all its affiliated organisations and fraternal bodies, had established "the reign of terror across the country through different oppressive and violent activities, including attacks, enforced disappearances, murders, assassinations, torture, rape, and other acts of violence targeting members of opposition political parties and individuals with dissenting views".

"In addition, there are clear allegations against them of enforced disappearances, murder, burning people alive, genocide, illegal detention, inhuman torture, looting, arson, terrorist acts, and crimes against humanity in connection with the suppression upon the student-people movement from July 15 to August 5, last year. These allegations have also been substantiated in both domestic and international reports."

Also, the report states that numerous cases are currently pending in the International Crimes Tribunal and in the country's criminal courts against leaders and activists of the Bangladesh Awami League, along with all its affiliated and fraternal organizations, on charges related to these crimes.

"In an apparent effort to obstruct the trial process, incite public fear, and threaten the unity, public security, and sovereignty of Bangladesh, these individuals have been observed engaging in activities that violate law and order."

Their activities, as listed, include attacks on students and members of the public participating in the mass uprising, organizing provocative processions, distributing anti-state leaflets, making inflammatory statements on social media including through fugitive leaders and activists abroad and attempting to damage both private and public property.

The notification states that the government possesses sufficient evidence, indicating that the Bangladesh Awami League, along with all its affiliated and fraternal organizations, is involved in various criminal activities aimed at destabilizing the state and rendering it ineffective. "Furthermore, these groups are reportedly engaged in illegal acts and conspiracies resembling those of terrorist organisations, with the intent of instilling fear in the public."

Additionally, the government has reasonable grounds to believe that it is appropriate to impose a ban on all activities of the party and its affiliated and fraternal organizations, under the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Ordinance 2025 and Section 18(1) of the Anti-Terrorism Act 2009, until the trials of their leaders and activists are concluded in the International Crimes Tribunal, also read the notification.

Of AL's affiliates, the Bangladesh Chhatra League was banned earlier in October last year after it was declared a terrorist organisation. The others who fall under associate organisations according to the party's constitution are the Bangladesh Mahila League, Bangladesh Awami Jubo League, Awami Swecchashebok League, Awami Ainjibee Parishad, Bangladesh Tanti League and the Swadhinata Chikitshak Parishad.

The latest developments come two days after the interim government decided to ban all activities of Awami League, including cyberspace, under the Anti-Terrorism Act until the trial of the party and its leaders in the face of protests led by the National Citizen Party (NCP).

The probe report, however, says the investigators did not find any evidence during the probe that qualifies as "genocide" under the international definition.

The investigation agency handed over the probe report along with other supporting documents to the Chief Prosecutor's office of the ICT on Monday morning.

Later in the day, Chief Prosecutor Muhammad Tajul Islam held a press conference regarding the issue at the ICT courtroom. This is the first probe report submitted against Sheikh Hasina.

In the press briefing, the Chief Prosecutor said that they will now scrutinise the probe report, after which if the prosecution team determines that there is enough evidence then it will be submitted to the ICT as a formal charge- hopefully within two or three weeks.

This will initiate the formal trial of the crimes against humanity committed by Sheikh Hasina during the July-August uprising.

Investigation against these three including Sheikh Hasina was initiated on the basis of a complaint filed on August 14 last year.

Newly-recruited investigation officer started the investigation on October 14, 2024 and submitted the report within six months and 28 days.

The Chief Prosecutor said that the investigators submitted the probe report against Sheikh Hasina and two others, identifying them as "superior commanders" responsible for crimes against humanity, including killings, injuring protesters through shootings, and burning bodies, committed across the country during the July-August mass uprising.

A total of five charges have been brought against Hasina and two others; however, the Chief Prosecutor disclosed only two of them in the conference.

In the first charge, investigators identified them as the "instigators of crimes against humanity".

"Sheikh Hasina instigated the crimes through a press conference held on July 14, 2024. She termed the protesters as the 'grand children of razakar (collaborators of Pakistani Army during the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971). She instigated the state agencies and law enforcers to commit crimes against humanity by terming the protesters as 'grand children of razakar'.

The same way, she incited activists of Awami League, Jubo League and Chhatra League to launch attacks on the protesters with arms.

They committed killing and injuring individuals and other crimes against humanity," said Mr Tajul citing the probe report.

In the second charge, investigators identified Hasina and other two accused as the "direct instructors" of crimes against humanity.

"During the investigation, the agency seized telephone conversations of Sheikh Hasina, from which it is clear that she ordered all state agencies to launch operations using helicopters, drones, and APCs to cleanse the unarmed civilian protesters, who were involved in a peaceful movement to achieve a legitimate demand," also said the Chief Prosecutor.

The remaining three allegations are based on specific incidents, detailing how the crimes were committed, how people were killed, and how other atrocities were carried out, all in the context of Sheikh Hasina's instructions. However, the Chief Prosecutor was unwilling to disclose further details of these three incidents.

He said medical certificates of the wounded people, death certificates of July-August martyrs, physicians who gave treatment at different hospitals, family members of the martyrs and wounded people and others would be brought as the witnesses of the case.

The investigation agency has submitted many call records, audio and video clippings, bullets recovered from the bodies of the martyrs and injured persons, documents found from the national and international organisations and flight schedules of the helicopters used during the uprising as evidence of the charges.

The Chief Prosecutor said a fair trial is not possible under the pressure of street protests.

So he urged the countrymen to have patience over the trial process, and grant a reasonable time to the tribunal, prosecution team and investigation agency to complete it properly.

Replying to a query, Mr Tajul said, "No charge of committing genocide has been brought against them. The crimes committed in Bangladesh during the July-August uprising are considered as crimes against humanity under the internationally accepted definition, but they do not constitute genocide."

The United Nations Human Rights Office estimated that up to 1,400 people may have been killed in Bangladesh during the massacre on student-led protests against the now-ousted former Prime Minister.

Meanwhile, a bdnews24.com adds, the Election Commission suspended Awami League's registration after the interim government banned all activities of the party.

EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said, "We have issued the gazette notification accordingly. You will receive a copy of the gazette."

As a result, the Awami League-one of Bangladesh's oldest political parties-can no longer participate in elections.

Akhtar said, "As you know, the Ministry of Home Affairs [Monday] banned the activities of Bangladesh Awami League, its affiliated and associated organisations.

"Following that, the Election Commission has decided to suspend the party's registration."

When asked on what grounds the registration was suspended, Akhtar said: "We have done this in line with the home ministry's gazette notification."

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