In Bangladesh, more than a thousand activists of the banned Awami League staged a protest march near the Parliament premises in Dhaka today, chanting slogans in support of party chief Sheikh Hasina.

The rally is the latest in a wave of flash protests by Awami League supporters across the capital. Last Friday, thousands joined a march in Tejgaon, while several hundred gathered a week earlier near the Baitul Mukarram Mosque in Gulistan.

Sheikh Hasina fled the country on August 5 last year following a mass movement that forced her resignation. An interim government took power on August 8 and has since banned the Awami League, arresting many senior leaders. Hasina and others face charges of crimes against humanity linked to the July Uprising.

Despite the ban and a crackdown on its leadership, Awami League activists continue to organise sporadic demonstrations in Dhaka and other parts of the country, often facing arrests in the aftermath.