Bangladesh's Awami League expressed serious concerns over actions of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government
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DHAKA — Bangladesh's Awami League expressed serious concerns over actions of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government , warning that the continuation of policies initiated under former Muhammad Yunus led interim government pose a grave threat to the country’s democratic culture and a healthy political environment.
The Awami League sharply criticised the recent ban on the party through a bill in the parliament, which stems from an ordinance promulgated in 2025 during the Yunus regime.
“The BNP had opposed various ordinances issued by the illegal, usurping, killer-fascist Yunus government. Yet now they are implementing those very measures, which amounts to a betrayal of the people. During Yunus’s tenure, the Awami League was banned through an executive order. The BNP has now turned that illegal and fascist directive into law. This is not conducive to democratic politics in Bangladesh. If a political party lacks public support, it cannot be sustained by law; similarly, if a party enjoys public backing, it cannot be suppressed through legislation,” read a statement issued by the Awami League.
“The Awami League, rooted in a long history and tradition, has always walked alongside the people of this country. Therefore, banning the Awami League, a people’s organization, is an anti-people decision. Only those who oppose democratic political culture can make such a decision,” the statement added.
Describing the recent arrest of former Parliament speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury as "unjust", the Awami League said she was detained “for a prolonged period, subjected to torture, and then formally shown as arrested in a staged drama”.
It added that Chaudhury’s detention and mistreatment represent "an attack on honest and dedicated politics".
The party further alleged that state machinery is being used to carry out extreme oppression, persecution, and arrests against its leaders and activists, while "indiscriminate killings" are taking place.
Highlighting the crackdown on its leaders, the Awami League said that Safura Begum Rumi has been "unjustly" arrested, while in Chattogram, several leaders and activists, including Mohammad Shamim and Alal Sheikh, have been killed. It also claimed that "new fabricated cases" are being filed, and "case-based extortion" remains underway.
The Awami League called upon the government to take necessary steps to ensure a proper political environment and uphold democratic culture, cautioning that “otherwise, the people of this country will determine their own path to liberation”.