The Bangladesh Awami League has announced a three-day, 72-hour nationwide programme titled “Public Outreach and Protest,” scheduled for November 14–16, under the leadership of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The initiative aims to demand the restoration of democracy, constitutional rights, justice, and public security.
On Tuesday, the Bangladesh Chhatra League enforced a countrywide strike.
According to the party’s announcement, the next programme is structured as follows:
- November 14: Distribution of leaflets outlining the party’s eight-point demands, along with public outreach and awareness campaigns.
- November 15: Nationwide protests and demonstration marches in support of the demands.
- November 16: Submission of memorandums to District Commissioners across the country, foreign diplomatic missions and international organisations in Bangladesh, as well as Bangladeshi diplomatic missions and international organisations abroad.
The eight-point demands focus on political rights, the lifting of restrictions on the Awami League and its affiliated organisations, the release of political prisoners, economic stability, public safety, freedom of expression, and the rule of law.
Party statements indicate these include calls for the withdrawal of cases against Sheikh Hasina and other leaders, which the Awami League describes as politically motivated, along with the cancellation of related judicial verdicts and an end to the alleged misuse of criminal cases.
The Awami League has urged its leaders, activists, affiliated organisations, and expatriate branches worldwide to participate and ensure the programme’s success. The announcement concludes with the slogans “Joy Bangla” and “Joy Bangabandhu.”
This call for mobilisation comes amid ongoing political tensions. Sheikh Hasina, who has lived in exile in India since the 2024 uprising that ended her government, has indicated plans to return to Bangladesh in December. A Bangladeshi court previously sentenced her to death in absentia in connection with the 2024 crackdown.
Bangladesh authorities have rejected a recent request for a new passport for Hasina, and a prosecutor has stated that her death sentence would be enforced if she returns.
The Awami League was barred from contesting the February 2026 general election, which brought the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) to power under Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
Recent weeks have seen reports of protests by Hasina supporters, as well as incidents of arson and crude bomb explosions in several areas. The Awami League’s latest programme marks another effort by the party to press its demands for political space and the release of its leaders and workers.