Skip to main content

Bangladesh tightens security after youth leader’s killing as media attacks stoke unrest fears

Bangladesh tightened security on Saturday, deploying police and paramilitary forces in the capital Dhaka ahead of funeral prayers for a slain youth leader and election candidate whose death has sparked a surge of violence.

The unrest in the South Asian nation after the shooting death of Sharif Osman Hadi has included coordinated mob attacks on major newspapers and cultural institutions.

Hadi, 32, a key figure in the student-led uprising last year that toppled longtime Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, was shot in the head by masked assailants in Dhaka last week while launching his campaign.

He died on Thursday night in Singapore after six days on life support.

Bangladesh is to elect a new parliament on February 12 — a transition many hope will help the Muslim-majority nation of 175 million people recover from nearly two years of instability and reclaim its position as a regional success story.

Rights groups condemn killing, attacks on media

But frequent bouts of violent protests and political wrangling among disparate groups have punctured the national sense of euphoria that arose after Hasina was ousted in August 2024.

It has also exposed the limitations of the interim government of Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, analysts say, raising questions over his grip on governance in the world’s largest apparel producer after China.

Yunus’ government, which declared Saturday a day of state mourning for Hadi, urged citizens to resist “mob violence by fringe elements”, warning that turmoil threatens Bangladesh’s fragile democratic transition.

Human Rights Watch called Hadi’s killing a “terrible act” and urged the government to act urgently to halt the violence that has gripped the country since Hasina’s ouster.

The group also condemned the attacks on media as an assault on free expression.

Bangladesh ranks 149th of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index. Rights groups warn that continued attacks on journalists and activists could further shrink civic space ahead of the election.

Amnesty International urged prompt, independent investigations into Hadi’s killing and the subsequent violence, including the burning of newspaper offices and harassment of journalists.

Demonstrations continued on Friday in the Shahbagh area of the capital, where crowds demanded justice for Hadi and accountability for the attacks. A mob stormed the Dhaka office of Udichi Shilpigosthi, Bangladesh’s premier progressive cultural organisation.

The violence has spread beyond the capital. In Chittagong, protesters attacked the Indian Assistant High Commission, reflecting growing anti-India sentiment since Hasina fled to New Delhi after her ouster.

Her party, the Awami League, which has been barred from the election, has threatened unrest that some fear could derail the vote.



from Dawn - Home https://ift.tt/7bkFrgw
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ministers rubbish notion that proposed retirement age extension to favour ‘one particular institution’

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Tuesday rubbished the notion that a proposed extension in the retirement age was to favour “one particular institution”, adding that the move would be implemented across the board if approved. The rebuttal comes in the wake of media reports claiming that the government was mulling changes to the Constitution to fix the tenure of the chief justice . Currently, judges of the Supreme Court, including the chief justice, retire after attaining the age of superannuation, i.e. 65 years, as stipulated in Article 179 of the Constitution. While giving his opinion recently on the reports of the constitutional amendment, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar had said he “will not vehemently turn down the proposals related to the tenure of the chief justice”. Addressing the issue during a press conference in Islamabad today along since Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and the law minister, Attaullah said the extension in the retirement age was “a proposal to a...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Republican primary race for president in 2024

The Republican primary race for president in 2024 is already shaping up to be a competitive one. There are a number of high-profile candidates who have already announced their intention to run, and more are expected to join the field in the coming months. The frontrunner for the nomination is former President Donald Trump. Trump has been teasing a 2024 run for months, and he has a large and loyal following among Republican voters. However, he is also a polarizing figure, and his candidacy could alienate some moderate Republicans. Another potential contender for the nomination is Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. DeSantis has been praised by many conservatives for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and his opposition to vaccine mandates. He is also seen as a rising star in the Republican Party. Other potential candidates include former Vice President Mike Pence, former Ambassador Nikki Haley, and Senator Tim Scott. Pence is a more traditional Republican who could appeal to moderate vote...
1 comment
Read more

In pictures: Grief in Gaza and the loss of a child

In the photo, the woman cradles a child in her arms, balanced on her knee. It is an image that resonates, as ancient as human history. But in a grim inversion of the familiar, we see that the child she holds close is a corpse, wrapped in a shroud. It is a quiet moment of intense grief. The woman wears a headscarf and her head is bowed. We cannot see who she is nor can we learn anything about the child — not even if it is a boy or girl. Palestinian woman Inas Abu Maamar, 36, embraces the body of her 5-year-old niece Saly, who was killed in an Israeli strike, at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, October 17, 2023. The child is one of many who have lost their lives on both sides in the Israel-Hamas war. Most have names we will never know, whose deaths will spark a lifetime of grief for family members we will never meet. In the 21st century, an average of almost 20 children a day have been killed or maimed in wars around the world, according to Unicef. Reuter...
Post a Comment
Read more