Bangladesh releases opposition leaders jailed in crackdown ahead of polls

Two prominent opposition figures in Bangladesh were released from prison on Thursday after being detained during a government crackdown ahead of a recent general election. Last year, thousands of members and supporters of the opposition party were arrested before the January poll, which resulted in a victory for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s party without significant competition. Among those detained were Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, 76, the general secretary of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), and Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, 74, a former commerce minister. Party spokesman Sayrul Kabir Khan confirmed their release to AFP and stated that Alamgir had assured supporters that their fight for democracy would persist. Alamgir was arrested in late October, a day after violent clashes between police officers and BNP protesters demanding Hasina’s resignation. Chowdhury was taken into custody several days later. The duo are the party’s top figures in the country with chair Khaleda Zia, a two-time former premier, in ailing health and effectively under house arrest following a 2018 graft conviction. Her son, Tarique Rahman, leads the party in exile from London, where he has resided since 2008. The BNP and dozens of other parties boycotted January polls which they condemned as a “sham” designed to cement the rule of five-time premier Hasina. The party said at least 25,000 of its members were arrested late last year in the government crackdown. A government minister said 11,000 were arrested. Human Rights Watch said authorities had conducted mass arrests “in a clear attempt to quash the opposition and eliminate competition ahead of the general elections”. Hasina’s ruling Awami League and its allies control almost every seat in parliament after the January poll, which was marred by low voter turnout. With inputs from AFP.