Awami Activities Axed: Bangladesh Bans Ruling Party’s Online, Public Engagements
The Government of Bangladesh has formally banned all activities of the Bangladesh Awami League—declared a proscribed organization under the Anti-Terrorism Act—as well as those of its affiliated, allied, and fraternal organizations, including any form of promotion, assembly, or conferences through online and social media platforms. The move, announced Monday through an official gazette signed by Nasimul Ghani, Senior Secretary of the Public Security Division under the Ministry of Home Affairs, takes immediate effect by order of the President.
While the order targets both physical and digital platforms, experts have raised doubts about its enforceability. "If truth and facts are promoted in response to misinformation or propaganda, the damage can be minimized," noted stakeholders in the information sector. They also warned that the use of AI to disseminate disinformation now poses an increased threat.
Following the gazette’s publication, Chief Advisor to the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology FaIz Ahmad stated, “A directive will be sent via BTRC to Meta and other platforms to disable these pages as soon as the circular is issued.” Advisor Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan warned, “No one will be spared if they conspire against the country. Even secret meetings, provocative processions, or posts can result in legal action.”
Despite the proclamation, the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) had not taken immediate action by the time of this report. According to sources, the National Cybersecurity Agency (NCA) is expected to issue a directive to the BTRC on Wednesday. Ministry officials have already contacted Facebook regarding compliance, particularly in light of recent state-critical content.
In line with the directive, the BTRC is expected to email Meta to disable pages associated with the Awami League and its affiliates across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and other platforms. However, as global tech giants like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter lack offices in Bangladesh, industry insiders argue that halting such activity online will be highly challenging.
Technology expert Fahim Mashroor remarked, “Since platforms like Facebook and YouTube have no local offices in Bangladesh, they are not bound by our laws. Even if some identified content is removed, technological limitations make complete prevention impossible. It’s not physically feasible. Though local cache servers exist, the main servers are in Kolkata. That’s why even pornography and online gambling couldn’t be fully blocked. Separating political content from personal opinion is now essential, and users themselves must understand this distinction.”
Ironically, shortly after the ban was announced, the official Facebook page of the Awami League posted a special statement from the party’s president and later hosted a live event within four hours.
The party’s verified Facebook page, titled “Bangladesh Awami League,” currently has nearly four million followers. Verified pages for affiliated groups such as Awami Swechchhasebak League and Awami Jubo League also exist. While websites of some wings have been taken down, the main party site has been converted into a news portal. Their presence on X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, and Instagram remains active and appears to grow more prominent in the evenings.
In addition to official channels, numerous unofficial pages and groups operate under the names of the Awami League and its student wing, Chhatra League. Activities also continue on Messenger, WhatsApp Channels, Telegram, TikTok, and YouTube, with increasing engagement from various party officials and activists.
The gazette concluded by citing intelligence and evidence indicating that the Awami League and its affiliates are “involved in criminal activities and conspiracies aimed at destabilizing the state and instilling fear among the public,” acting like a terrorist organization. Under Section 18(1) of the 2025 Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Ordinance and the 2009 Anti-Terrorism Act, the government stated it is justified in declaring the party and its affiliates banned until ongoing trials at the International Crimes Tribunal are completed. Consequently, all forms of publication, media, online, and social media campaigns, marches, meetings, and conferences by these groups are now prohibited.
