The existence of Sheikh Hasina’s party Awami League, which has been ruling Bangladesh continuously for more than one and a half decade, is going to be banned forever. The Bangladesh government is no longer limited to banning the Awami League as a political party, but has made final preparations to prosecute it as a terrorist organization. Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed addressed the ‘July National Conference’ at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Center in Dhaka on Saturday. Ahmed said that the Awami League, whose activities are currently banned, will never be able to do politics in this country again.
Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said that Awami League is politically dead and has been buried in Delhi. Now they will never be able to return to Bangladesh. Let us know what the Home Minister’s statement means, how Bangladesh government will take action, how many members and leaders of Awami League can come under the ambit of investigation…
What is the legal weapon of the government?
The government has made major changes in the legal framework to completely destroy the Awami League and punish its leaders. The Home Minister said that Awami League as a political party will soon be brought to justice for terrorist activities.
- Article 47 of the Constitution: The government has made important amendments in the law under Article 47 of the Constitution of Bangladesh. This article mainly gives the right to prompt and strict legal action in cases related to anti-national activities, war crimes and human rights violations.
- Terrorism and Cyber Laws: According to the Home Minister, now political parties and their organizations can be prosecuted directly under the Anti-Terrorism Act and the ‘Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Act’. This means that non-bailable sections will be imposed on Awami League leaders not only for violence, but also for sedition, cyber terrorism and conspiracy against the state.
How many workers in Awami League, how many will be taken action against?
Awami League, formed in 1949, has been one of the oldest and largest political parties of Bangladesh. It can be understood how big will be the scope of the action taken against this party. It has become clear from the statement of the Home Minister that the coming times are going to be very challenging for the leaders and workers of Awami League.
1. Total number of workers and members
According to historical and official records of the party till 2023, the number of registered members and active workers of Awami League across Bangladesh has been around 15 million to 20 million. It also includes the main organization of the party, youth wing Jubo League and student organization Chhatra League, which has already been declared a terrorist organization and banned. Apart from this, members of labor and women’s wings are included.
2. How many will be actioned, how many will become terrorists?
The government will not declare the entire 1.5 crore voters or ordinary supporters as terrorists, but a definite strategy has been made to completely destroy the organization and structure of the party.
- Top and middle level leaders: Direct action is being taken against about 50,000 to 70,000 key officials of the Awami League, including the Central Committee, district presidents, general secretaries, sub-district (upazila) level leaders and former MPs, under the Anti-Terrorism Act and murder cases. They can legally be declared terrorists or fugitives.
- Biggest pride on student and youth wing: Around 2 to 3 lakh active workers of Chhatra League and ‘Jubo League’ have been identified for firing bullets and violence on students during the July Movement. Criminal records are being registered against them under the ICT Act and Anti-Terror Law, due to which they will become ineligible for any government job or political activity in future.
- Latest Status: So far, more than 15,000 Awami League leaders and workers have been arrested across the country, while thousands of leaders have fled the country or are underground.
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