Awami League buried in Delhi, will never be able to do politics in Bangladesh again: Home Minister
Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed on Saturday said the banned Awami League has suffered a complete political downfall and has now been "buried in Delhi", asserting that the party will never again be allowed to operate politically in Bangladesh.
He said the party would soon face trial for its activities and crimes against humanity while speaking as a special guest at the July National Conference-2026, organised to mark the second anniversary of the 2024 July Uprising and honour those killed and injured during the movement. The event was held at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Center in the capital.
Salahuddin said, "We have demanded the trial of the Awami League as a political party, and so have you. Investigations in this regard are currently underway. InshaAllah, very soon that party will be brought to the dock for trial as a political organisation."
He noted that there is legal scope to try the party under Article 47 of the Constitution, the Anti-Terrorism Act, and the ICT Act.
Salahuddin, who is also a BNP Standing Committee member, reflected on his and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's time in exile.
"Such is Allah's greatness that if we had not been in exile, perhaps an uprising like this July movement could not have been successfully concluded. That is what happened behind the scenes."
He further said, "We never slept. We coordinated 24 hours a day and organised our leaders and activists in various ways, placing these July fighters at the forefront and advancing the movement up to a certain stage under a non-political identity. We gave moral support... There was a movement by university teachers, and after supporting that, we moved forward."
He then referred to July 16, saying that there was "one point, one demand – the resignation of the autocrat. There can be no other solution to the problem."
Salahuddin Ahmed said, "Many of those who today claim leadership of the July fighters had said at the time, 'We have no political demands. Our demand is for a discrimination-free society; this student movement is about eliminating quota discrimination.' That was their position. We knew that a discrimination-free Bangladesh could not be established while leaving the autocrat in power. We managed to convince them, but they did not have that courage. Politically, we united people across the entire country, and through the stream of blood shed by hundreds of thousands of martyrs, we have arrived where we are today."
He also said that more than 450 of those martyred during the August 5 movement were leaders and activists of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, Jubo Dal, and other affiliated organisations of the BNP.
Criticising former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the Home Minister said that despite such a massive massacre, she has shown no remorse. He said that the Awami League has been labelling the July fighters as criminals and, from abroad, attempting to portray the movement as a terrorist movement.
At the event, he provided an update on the progress of the judicial process concerning the July killings, saying that verdicts have already been delivered in five crimes against humanity cases. In addition, 27 cases are currently under trial, while another 72 are in the final stages of investigation.
The Home Minister further said, "None of us should do business with the spirit of July. Those who are using the spirit of July to form political organizations and gain political advantage by selling that spirit will see the consequences in the future. History tells us so. Those who used to sell the spirit of the Liberation War of 1971 have ended up sitting in Delhi today. The people of Bangladesh have overthrown them."
He added, "Therefore, trading in ideals is not good. The intention of gaining political advantage is not good. We will preserve the history and memory of the great July Uprising of 2024 so that future generations may see how fascist autocrats fall, and so that no future government engages in fascist or autocratic behaviour."