Government writes to BTRC to take down Awami League website, social media accounts

The interim government has directed the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) to block the Awami League’s official website and social media accounts, along with those of its affiliated organisations.

The order was issued in a letter from the National Cyber Security Agency on Tuesday, a day after the government imposed a ban on the party’s political, organisational, and digital activities under the Anti-Terrorism Act, pending trial at the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT).

The letter includes a list of URLs connected to the Awami League’s presence on platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, Telegram, and X, with instructions for immediate takedown.

Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, the chief advisor’s special assistant on ICT, confirmed the directive to bdnews24.com. He said the BTRC was instructed to act in accordance with the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025, and Section 8(2) of the Cyber Security Act.

The BTRC has also been asked to notify relevant technology companies to disable the party’s accounts hosted on their platforms.

The move follows the government’s official notification banning all Awami League activities — including rallies, processions, conferences, and publications — across physical and digital platforms.

The cyber agency’s letter cited the government ban and the Election Commission’s decision to suspend the party’s political registration as the basis for the directive.

Quoting Section 8(2) of the Cyber Security Act, the letter stated: “If law-enforcing agencies, upon analysing digital content, believe there is a threat to the country’s integrity, security, defence, or public order — or that the content incites violence, criminal activity, or promotes religious, communal, or ethnic hatred — they may remove or block the content, or request BTRC to do so through the Director General.”