UK barristers' chamber demands lifting of ban on Awami League in Yunus-led Bangladesh

London, Aug 10 (IANS) A request, calling for urgent action on behalf of Awami League President Sheikh Hasina concerning the ban on her party in Bangladesh, has been submitted to the UN Independent Expert on the Promotion of a Democratic International Order and other UN Special Rapporteurs by two lawyers at Doughty Street Chambers.

In the appeal, Steven Powles KC and Alex Tinsley from Doughty Street Chambers have requested the Independent Expert and other Rapporteurs to call on the Yunus-led interim administration to lift the ban on the Awami League and allow the party to fully participate in all the elections that will take place in Bangladesh.

Doughty Street Chambers is a British set of barristers' chambers situated in Bristol, Manchester and London's Doughty Street.

The lawyers have also urged the independent experts' body to call on the interim government to hold free and fair elections in Bangladesh as "a matter of urgency," Doughty Street Chambers said in a statement.

The Awami League supporters, those associated with it and the minorities in Bangladesh have faced widespread attacks since Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus assumed power in August last year.

According to the statement, these attacks have gone "unpunished", and "blanket immunity" has been given to the perpetrators by the interim administration.

The Yunus administration has decided to hold polls in February 2026. However, it remains to be seen whether the interim administration will keep its promise or not.

In the meantime, the interim administration has banned the Awami League from participating in elections and announced restrictions on all its activities until the conclusion of proceedings against the leaders of Sheikh Hasina's party before the Bangladesh International Crimes Tribunal.

The Urgent Appeal to the UN Independent Expert on the Promotion of a Democratic International Order, the statement said, mentions how the interim administration's decision against the Awami League violates fundamental human rights, undermines the rule of law and democracy in Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, as per a local media report on August 5, Bangladesh police have arrested another 1,593 Awami League leaders and activists in a nationwide operation amid the ongoing crackdown on the party by the Yunus-led regime.

Additionally, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) had taken into custody 11 Awami League activists in raids at different places in the Capital on August 5.

Among the arrested activists is online Awami League blogger and activist Kamal Pasha Chowdhury, leading Bangladeshi daily Samakal reported.

All the arrested persons were charged in multiple criminal cases in connection with last year's July demonstration. Condemning the arrest ofKamal Pasha Chowdhury, Awami League leader and former Minister Mohammad Arafat took to social media, calling it "unjust."

Earlier, the Awami League's media cell had reported that the country is witnessing an alarming surge in "fake legal cases, mob violence, and political revenge" under the Yunus administration.

The party highlighted a "collapse of the justice system" in Bangladesh amid a "tsunami of fake cases" since the fall of the democratically elected Awami League government led by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

--IANS

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