Bangladesh opposition supporters protested July 29 to demand the resignation of prime minister and the leader of Awami League, Sheikh Hasina. The protests followed a call to action [7] from the Bangladesh National Party (BNP). Protestors blocked several entry points to the capital Dhaka, and some threw rocks at police. The police responded [8] with tear-gas, rubber bullets and batons. The Dhaka metropolitan police admitted [10] to these tactics, saying that officers were injured. BNP leader Abdul Moyeen Khan said that 1,000 supporters have been arrested, two times higher than the 500 figure provided by the police.
These protests were the latest among a year-long series of demonstrations demanding new elections under a caretaker government. The BNP believes that elections that brought the Awami League to power in 2018 were not free and fair. At the time, BNP leader and former prime minister Khaleda Zia was convicted of corruption and barred from the election.
The Bangladesh government has since then been criticized for undemocratic practices [11] and human rights violations [12]. Bangladeshi victims have spoken out [13] about planned extrajudicial killings, and those who shared their experiences of such practices have faced arrest and torture [14]. The United States has restricted the issuing of visas to Bangladeshi citizens [15] who are believed to have undermined the democratic process in Bangladesh.
From Jurist [16], July 30. Used with permission.
