The government has empowered the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) to suspend, ban, or confiscate the properties of any political party or organization found to have supported or been involved in crimes committed against humanity.
The president on Saturday promulgated the International Crimes (Tribunals) (Second Amendment) Ordinance, 2025, amending the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act, 1973. The amendment was published in a gazette the same day.
Under the new provisions, the definition of “organization” has been broadened to include not only political parties but also any entity affiliated with, subordinate to, or associated with such parties, or any group of individuals that propagates, supports, endorses, facilitates, or engages in their activities.
The most significant change comes through the newly inserted Section 20B, which authorizes the tribunal to take punitive actions against organizations if it finds credible evidence that they committed, aided, incited, or otherwise facilitated war crimes.
“Notwithstanding anything contained in this act or any other law for the time being in force, if it appears to the tribunal that any organization has committed or assisted in committing any of the crimes under Section 3(2), the tribunal shall have the power to suspend or prohibit its activities, ban the organization, suspend or cancel its registration or license, and confiscate its property,” the gazette reads.
The amendment, passed overnight, followed just hours after the interim administration imposed a blanket ban on all operations of the Bangladesh Awami League. The decision came amid mounting protests by July Uprising student groups demanding a ban on the ousted party.
Led by the National Citizen Party (NCP) leaders Nahid Islam and Hasnat Abdullah, demonstrators rallied outside the chief adviser’s residence before assembling at Shahbagh on the night.
That night, an emergency meeting chaired by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus approved the ban and endorsed ICT Act amendments to prosecute political parties as entities.
At a post-meeting briefing on Saturday night, Law Adviser Asif Nazrul emphasized: “This amendment empowers the prosecution of organizations implicated in crimes against humanity, where credible evidence of institutional complicity exists.”
He also confirmed that, under the Anti-Terrorism Act, all Awami League activities—both physical and digital—would remain suspended until the conclusion of the ongoing ICT trials against its senior leaders.
