The ban on Awami League (AL) was necessary to protect national security, sovereignty, and ensure the safety of July Movement activists, said Shafiqul Alam, press secretary to the interim government’s chief adviser, on Sunday morning.
“I don't believe the world will lament over banning AL's activities. This ban was necessary to protect national security and sovereignty, ensure the safety of July Movement activists, and safeguard plaintiffs and witnesses of the International Crimes Tribunal,” he wrote in a Facebook post at 9:47 am.
Shafiqul compared the decision to similar actions in other countries, stating: “We have seen that entire political parties — not just their activities — have been banned even in Western democracies for crimes against humanity and for acting against core national interests. Germany and Italy banned Nazi and Fascist parties after World War II. In Spain and Belgium, some political parties were banned for secessionist activities.”
Citing a recent report by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHCHR), the press secretary claimed that the AL and its affiliates were involved in crimes against humanity. “The UNHCHR report demonstrated beyond reasonable doubt that AL, its leadership and partymen, and its affiliated organizations participated in heinous crimes against humanity. Moreover, this party caused wholesale destruction of democracy and the electoral process in Bangladesh. Its leaders and supporters looted the banks dry and siphoned off colossal amounts of funds abroad,” he alleged.
“There is nobody in the democratic world who will speak in favour of such a brazenly murderous, anti-democratic and corrupt party,” Shafiqul added. “Therefore, we don't anticipate any adverse international reaction to the ban on AL's activities.”