BNP says faux instances are being slapped on supporters as HRW accuses authorities of focusing on opposition political events.
1000's of celebration activists in Bangladesh have been hit with “faux” costs of violence in a widespread crackdown by authorities, the opposition has mentioned, as a distinguished human rights group expressed issues.
Opponents of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina – whose authorities faces a common election subsequent 12 months and is accused of rights abuses – have held protests throughout the nation in current months over energy cuts.
They're additionally demanding the polls ought to be held underneath a impartial, caretaker authorities.
Among the demonstrations had been marred by violence.
Sairul Kabir Khan, a spokesman for the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Occasion (BNP), mentioned that since August 22, police had charged a minimum of 4,081 named celebration supporters and leaders in what he referred to as trumped-up or “faux” costs associated to the violence.
One other 20,000 unidentified BNP supporters had additionally been charged, he added – a tactic that rights activists say offers police sweeping energy to harass any opposition supporters who could or could not have attended a rally.
5 activists have been killed and greater than 2,000 injured on the protests, Khan instructed AFP information company.
Police had not intervened when BNP rallies got here underneath violent assault, principally by stick-wielding activists of the ruling Awami League celebration, however “if we retaliate, then they begin reacting”, he mentioned.
“The police usually are not a impartial drive,” Khan added.
Police say 4 individuals have died in a minimum of three protests however accused the opposition of triggering the violence.
Khan’s feedback got here as New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Monday raised issues over “mass arrests and police raids of opposition celebration members’ houses”.
“Whereas police have carried out mass arrests of opposition supporters, these affiliated with the ruling celebration seem to have impunity for violent assaults,” it mentioned.
Meenakshi Ganguly, HRW’s South Asia director, mentioned this set “an ominous tone for the upcoming parliamentary elections”, that are set for December 2023.
Chatting with Anadolu Company over the phone, Bangladesh’s Residence Minister Asaduzzaman Khan referred to as the HRW report “100% political propaganda”.
“Our human rights scenario is much better than many different international locations,” he mentioned.
Khan mentioned no opposition political celebration leaders and activists had been victims of oppression by the federal government.
Final December, america slapped sanctions on seven prime Bangladeshi safety officers and the elite anti-terrorism drive, the Fast Motion Battalion, over its position in a whole bunch of enforced disappearances and hundreds of extrajudicial killings.
Dhaka denies it was behind any enforced disappearance of opposition supporters and leaders, and says many criminals had been killed throughout gunfights with officers.
The federal government, which has been in energy since 2009, has largely defied the US measures and final month promoted one of many sanctioned officers to the nationwide police chief.
Bangladesh’s police spokesman, Monzur Rahman, denied that officers had been focusing on opposition activists, saying the drive “respects the rights of each citizen within the nation” and intervened solely “to keep up the regulation and order scenario”.
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