Bangladesh’s interim government, led by Muhammad Yunus, on Saturday evening officially banned the Awami League—former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s party—under the country’s anti-terrorism law. According to a statement from Yunus’s office, the formal gazette notification on the ban will be issued on the next working day. The announcement, described as a “statement of the council of advisers” (the Cabinet), confirmed that the ban would remain in force until the completion of the Awami League’s trial in Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT). The move, it said, was aimed at protecting the nation’s “security and sovereignty.” The government also cited the need to ensure the safety of witnesses, complainants, and supporters of the July 2024 uprising that led to the fall of the Awami League regime. At the same meeting, chaired by Yunus, amendments were made to the ICT law, authorising the tribunal to prosecute political parties, their front organisations, and affiliated bodies. Founded in 1949, the Awami League played a pivotal role in the autonomy movement of East Pakistan and led the 1971 Liberation War that gave birth to Bangladesh.