Election door shut for Hasina, her aides

Bangla Press Desk: A formal investigation has been launched to prosecute the Awami League as a criminal organisation for crimes against humanity committed during 2024 mass upsurge, while a newly amended law has barred deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her top aides from contesting elections.

Hasina and several AL leaders have already been charged with crimes against humanity, while many others are going to be indicted before the next polls.

Under the latest amendment to the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act, any individual formally charged with such crimes is now barred from contesting elections or holding government office.

The newly inserted Section 20C lays out a sweeping disqualification frame-work: once charged, an individual cannot run for Parliament, local government positions, or hold public office unless acquitted or discharged by the tribunal.

The amendment, the third within a year, which was approved by the Advisory Council of the interim government on 4 September, was issued on Monday as an ordinance titled International Crimes Tribunal (Third Amendment) Ordi-nance, 2025. A gazette notification was issued in this regard.

The Awami League is the first entity in Bangladesh, which is facing trial as a party.

ICT Chief Prosecutor Advocate Muhammad Tajul Islam revealed the matter on Tuesday while talking to journalists on the ICT building premises.

Confirming that an investigation officer (IO) has already been appointed to in-vestigate AL's crimes, Tajul Islam said any person formally charged with crimes at the ICT will be ineligible to contest elections or hold government jobs.

He said the law has been updated again, aiming to strengthen the legal frame-work surrounding the prosecution and ensure accountability at every level of public office.

As a result of the latest amendment, Hasina, former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, former Information Minister and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal President Hasanul Haq Inu, AL leader Mahbubul Alam Hanif, and some other AL leaders cannot contest the next polls as they have already been indicted in ICT cases.

Since the ousting of the Awami League regime, a total of 84 individuals out of 209 accused in 30 miscellaneous cases filed with the ICT are now in custody.

They include former ministers Anisul Huq, Dr Dipu Moni, Amir Hossain Amu, Md Abdur Razzaque, Qamrul Islam, Muhammad Faruk Khan, Shajahan Khan, Golam Dastagir Gazi and Rashed Khan Menon, ousted PM’s former advisers Salman F Rahman and Toufiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury; former state ministers Kamal Ahmed Mazumder and Zunaid Ahmed Palak, former MPs Solaiman Mohammad Selim, former secretary Md Jahangir Alam, former Supreme Court judge Justice AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik, sacked army official Ziaul Ahsan, former Inspectors General of Police AKM Shahidul Hauque and Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun and former Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Asaduzzaman Miah.

AL General Secretary Obaidul Quader and other AL leaders are on the run. A number of them are going to be charged with crimes against humanity in the ICT this month.

Hasina, who fled to India on 5 August 2024 in the face of a mass upsurge, is being tried in absentia for incitement, instigation and giving orders to kill over 1,400 innocent people to suppress the protests in 2024.

Before the third amendment to the ICT law during the Prof Yunus-led interim government, the path for trying the Awami League as a party was opened in February by an amendment at that time.

Later on 12 May 2025, the government banned all activities of the Awami League and its front bodies. In continuation of this, the Election Commission (EC) also suspended its registration as a party.

Now, the ICT prosecution formally launched an investigation into the trial of the party based on a complaint submitted by the Nationalist Democratic Movement (NDM).

Its chief Bobby Hajjaj on 2 October submitted the com-plaint to the ICT Chief Prosecutor’s office demanding AL’s trial. 

The complaint alleged that the Awami League and its 14-party alliance part-ners, including Jatiya Party, Samyabadi Dal, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD-Inu), Workers Party of Bangladesh, Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal, Bangladesh Tariqat Federation, Ganatantri Party, and Gano Azadi League, were collective-ly responsible for mass killings and they should be brought to trial before the ICT after due investigation.

Alongside NDM, many other political parties and organisations have been de-manding the trial of the Awami League and its political allies. The National Citizen Party (NCP) is one of them.

About possible punishment for a political party, Tajul Islam said a party can-not be punished like an individual, but the law clearly defines what kinds of penalties can be imposed.

Alongside the ban, directives may be issued concern-ing the party’s leaders and members. Now the investigation has begun into the Awami League.

“If it appears necessary, an investigation can be launched for other parties, including the parties under the AL-led 14-party alliance,” he add-ed. 

Before the beginning of the formal investigation, the ICT prosecution primarily verified and scrutinised the allegations brought against the Awami League.

Although some parties or organisations were banned by executive order in the past, this is the first time that a probe begins into a party, said ICT Prosecutor SM Mainul Karim.

BP/SP