Bangladesh: Opposition party holds rally to demand fresh elections

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Thousands of activists and leaders of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party rallied in the country’s capital on Tuesday to demand a democratic transition through elections, as the caretaker government has not yet set a timetable for new elections.

Party supporters gathered outside the BNP headquarters in Dhaka, where they chanted slogans demanding new elections.

A caretaker government headed by a Nobel Prize winner Muhammad Yunus has outlined a series of plans to reform various sectors of the country, from the Election Commission to financial institutions. But major political parties — including the BNP, led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia — want new elections to be held soon.

Yunus took over from former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina He fled the country during a mass uprising last month, ending 15 years in power. The protests began in July and later escalated into an anti-government movement. Hasina has been living in India since then.

In recent speeches, Yunus has not provided a time frame for new national elections and has said he will remain in power as long as people want him to. A newspaper editorial team recently said Yunus should first complete key reforms and remain in power for at least two years.

The BNP initially demanded elections in three months but later said it wanted to give the caretaker government some time to implement reforms. The country’s main Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami, which was once an official alliance partner of Zia’s party, also wants to give the Yunus-led government more time before holding elections.

Tarique Rahman, Zia’s successor and acting chairman of the BNP, spoke online from London, where he has lived in exile since 2008. On Tuesday, he said his party supported the caretaker government’s reform plans but that such changes would only be sustained if people had a say in the process.

He did not specify when new elections would be held but said any reforms would have to be approved by the next parliament.

In another development, a Dhaka court on Tuesday allowed investigators to question two high-ranking journalists accused of murder while they are in custody.

Shyamal Dutta, editor of the Bengali-language Bhorer Kagoj and former secretary general of the National Press Club in Dhaka, and Mozammel Babu, managing director and editor-in-chief of the private Ekattor TV, were arrested on Monday as they allegedly tried to flee to India. Both have been charged with murder in connection with the student protests. Both were known to be close to Hasina.

Since Hasina was ousted from power, more than 150 journalists have been put on trial on charges of murder and crimes against humanity, with their accusations drawing criticism from groups including the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and Human Rights Watch.

After two other journalists were arrested last month and when more cases were filed against others, RSF demanded that such cases be stopped.

“The purge of journalists believed to be linked to the previous government has reached a new level. Media professionals are bearing the brunt of the need for revenge that permeates this terrible legal cabal that is tarnishing the image of the ongoing political transition in Bangladesh,” said Antoine Bernard, RSF’s director of advocacy and outreach.

“The transitional authorities, led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, must do everything in their power to end this cruel process,” Bernard said.