The Awami League comments on UK Prime Minister’s potential meeting with unelected Bangladeshi leader

The Awami League has today expressed deep concern over UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s reportedly scheduled meeting with Muhammad Yunus, the self-declared Chief Adviser of Bangladesh - warning that any formal meeting lends legitimacy to an unelected and unconstitutional administration.

A formal letter from the Awami League’s UK branch has been sent to Downing Street, the Speaker of the House of Commons, the King’s Foundation, and the Commonwealth Secretariat, urging British officials not to unwittingly launder Yunus’s administration just as Bangladesh’s crisis deepens.

At a time when Bangladesh is experiencing economic decline, escalating political repression, and growing human rights abuses - particularly against women and girls - the UK Government’s decision to engage with Mr Yunus threatens to send a damaging signal about the primacy of democracy and the rule of law. Upon arrival in the UK, Mr Yunus is expected to be greeted by demonstrators including Bangladeshis living in the UK who have been forced to flee since his accession to power ten months ago.

Tensions have escalated due to the recent banning of the Awami League by the Yunus government, which represents a deeply alarming departure from democratic norms. The Awami League is one of Bangladesh’s founding parties and is still supported by tens of millions of citizens and expatriates. Last week Yunus announced general elections in April 2026. Even if this promise is fulfilled, the Awami League’s forced exclusion from political participation will render this election inherently undemocratic.

Furthermore, freedom of the press in Bangladesh is under unprecedented attack. Journalists seen to support the Awami League have been arrested, and politically motivated charges have been brought against at least 140 others. Human Rights Watch has highlighted a disturbing practice by authorities of filing vague or mass criminal complaints, enabling the arbitrary arrest of thousands - mostly targeting Awami League supporters.

In the wake of the student-led quota movement, the country has descended into violence and instability. Since August last year, over 47 people have been killed and nearly 2,500 injured in more than 300 incidents of political violence. Women and girls are being disproportionately affected: child rape cases rose significantly in early 2025, while a girls’ football tournament was cancelled under pressure from Islamist factions.

Civil unrest continues to grow. Most recently, public sector workers have taken to the streets to oppose unpopular reforms, adding to widespread discontent. The nation’s once high-growth economy, credited with lifting millions out of poverty, has now been downgraded twice in under a year by the IMF.

MOHAMMAD ARAFAT, SPOKESMAN FOR AWAMI LEAGUE, SAID:

“It is ironic and extraordinary that an unelected leader is visiting the home of modern parliamentary democracy and expecting a warm welcome. This visit risks inflaming tensions in both Bangladesh and the UK, home to a large Bangladeshi diaspora. By offering credibility to such a government, Sir Keir Starmer would compromise the UK’s reputation as a defender of democratic values.

We urge the UK Government and His Majesty the King to press Mr Yunus to commit to elections that are free and fair, rather than rigged against his critics. He must lift the ban on the Awami League, enable multi-party participation, and respect the democratic will of the Bangladeshi people.”

The UK Awami League’s full letter to Downing Street, the Speake of the House of Commons, the Commonwealth Secretariat and the King’s Fund:

I am writing on behalf of the Awami League to express our concerns about the UK Government meeting with Muhammad Yunus, the self-proclaimed Chief Adviser of Bangladesh. The recent ban on the Awami League, by an unelected and unconstitutional government, marks a deeply troubling shift away from democratic norms and sets an alarming precedent for the future of Bangladeshi politics.

The Awami League played a key role in the country’s founding and tens of millions of Bangladeshi nationals and expatriates still align with the party’s core beliefs. With the ban in place, it is impossible to have free, fair and truly democratic elections in Bangladesh.

The ban comes amid rising attacks on Awami League members, targeted political persecution and a growing repression of media freedom. Human Rights Watch has reported a litany of unjustified arrests of Awami League officials and supporters, and of journalists seen as friendly with the previous regime. Within weeks of the fall of the previous government, five journalists were arrested on dubious and politically motivated charges of murder and crimes against humanity, while at least 140 others faced similar charges. Human Rights Watch equally notes a concerning tactic deployed by security forces of filing criminal complaints against a mass amount of “unknown” people to allow the police to arrest and detain “almost anyone”. In the Yunus administrations’ first 100 days in power, more than 1,000 police cases were filed against tens of thousands of people, mostly Awami League members. In many of these cases, complainants said they were not aware of whom they were accusing.

Awami League ministers and cabinet members, including Dipu Moni, Saber Choudhury, Anisul Huq and Arif Khan, are among those who have been arrested and denied due process. These former officials have faced physical violence and have been paraded into courts with no hope of a fair trial. Lawyers defending Awami League members have also been the target of threats and violence. This mockery of jurisprudence has been overseen by an unelected government that seeks to marginalise its political opponents. Like the recent ban on the Awami League, it directly contradicts Dr Yunus’s promises to foster democracy, pluralism and the rule of law in Bangladesh.

In the months since the student-led quota movement, Bangladesh has also descended into a state of lawlessness. Ordinary Bangladeshis are witnessing daily acts of violence, persecution and destruction. In the first three months of this year alone, the Human Rights Society reported at least 47 deaths and 2,475 injuries in over 300 incidents of political violence. Police in Bangladesh’s cities are recording an unprecedented spike in muggings and robberies as demoralised and under resourced law enforcement agencies cede control of the streets to criminal gangs.

Much of this violence has been targeted at women and girls. Since August last year, crime against women has risen exponentially, while the response from the authorities has been minimal. Between January and March this year, UNICEF reported an alarming 50 cases of child rape – a trend it considers is only worsening. In February, a girls’ football tournament was cancelled following pressure from one Islamist group, and just recently, a professor was transferred out of her post following protests from another Islamist pressure group. These are just some examples of the violence and public harassment Bangladeshi women have been subject to for failing to conform to Islamist perceptions of modesty or for simply existing in the public eye.

There is a clear correlation between the culture of impunity around gendered violence and the Yunus administration’s decision to allows Islamic extremists to take senior positions in government. To be clear, since its independence in 1971 Bangladesh has maintained a proud tradition of secularism in politics. The abandonment of that tradition threatens our civil society and our hard-won social progress.

There has been extensive reporting about a rapprochement between the interim government and organisations with known terrorist links, including Jamaat-e-Islami, Chatra Shibir, Harakat ul-Jihad-iIslami/Bangladesh, ISIS-Bangladesh and Hizb ut-Tahrir – a group recognised by the UK Government as a terrorist organisation. Meanwhile the persecution of religious minorities is widely reported to have increased. In the three months following the summer’s protests, more than 2,000 attacks against Hindus and other minorities were recorded, and this figure has only risen. Vandalism of Hindu places of worship and statues continues to this day. Leading Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das was also arrested and denied due process.

Discontent with the current regime is disrupting daily life and causing chaos in civic and commercial life. Public sector workers have become the most recent group to protest the interim government’s proposed reforms, taking to the streets this past week. Bangladesh’s high-growth economy – the nation’s greatest achievement over the past 20 years, lifting millions out of poverty – is now in peril. Since the current administration took power, the country’s economy has been downgraded by the IMF twice, as politically-motivated factory closures, skittish decision-making, cronyism and corruption chill the investment climate and destroy jobs.

Livelihoods are at risk, as well as the country’s civil and religious freedoms – and, of course, its status as a reliable trading and security partner for the UK. With Bangladesh’s future genuinely in the balance, I urge you to raise these issues with Muhammad Yunus when you meet him. Please encourage the interim government to protect those suffering from persecution and oppression.