Citizen Initiative expresses deep concern over the recent joint letter by six international human rights organizations to the Chief Adviser of the Interim Government, which, among other recommendations, called for lifting the ban on the Awami League. While we appreciate their continued engagement with Bangladesh’s human rights reform process, we categorically reject the notion that the restoration of activities of a party responsible for systematic crimes against humanity, mass killings, and enforced disappearances is in any way compatible with the principles of democracy and justice.
The fascist regimes of Awamli League, under Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (1972–1975) and Sheikh Hasina (2009–2024), collectively embodied a pattern of dynastic fascism that imposed systematic repression and fear unparalleled in Bangladesh’s post-independence era. Tens of Thousands of political opponents, journalists, and activists were abducted, tortured, or killed. State institutions, from the police and intelligence agencies to the judiciary, were weaponized to suppress dissent and dismantle democratic space. The International Crimes Tribunal has issued arrest warrants against senior RAB and DGFI officials for crimes against humanity committed under Awami League rule, including enforced disappearances estimated at around 3,500 by the Commission on Enforced Disappearances.
To demand the “lifting of the ban” on such a party is to ask victims of state terror to coexist again with their tormentors under the false pretext of political pluralism. History provides lessons, as the Nazi Party in post-war Germany and the Fascist Party in Italy were both permanently banned after being held responsible for atrocities and for destroying democratic institutions. No credible human rights framework today advocates the restoration of those fascist movements in the name of “multi-party democracy.” Bangladesh, too, has the sovereign right and moral obligation to ensure that those who destroyed democracy and undermined human rights do not return under its banner.
Therefore, we believe, any attempt to normalize or rehabilitate the Awami League without full accountability for its crimes constitutes an assault on the memory of the disappeared, the tortured, and the slain.
Citizen Initiative calls upon all international human rights organizations to approach Bangladesh’s transition with historical responsibility and moral consistency. Justice must precede reconciliation, and democracy cannot be rebuilt on the ashes of impunity. The call to lift the ban on the Awami League is, therefore, both impulsive and dangerous.
Sincerely,
Taib Ahmed
Secretary, Citizen Initiative
PhD Candidate & Instructor,
Colorado State University
Dr. Hassan Mahmud
Chairman Citizen Initiative
Assistant Professor
Northwestern University Qatar
