Leaders and supporters of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) took to the streets in Dhaka on November 8, 2024, to defend the voting rights of the people. Two prominent opponents of Sheikh Hasina, the ousted Bangladeshi premier, cautioned at a massive rally in the capital that her allies were attempting to sabotage the interim government that succeeded her regime.
On Sunday, police arrested supporters of Bangladesh's former leader, Sheikh Hasina, who had followed her instructions to protest while carrying placards featuring Donald Trump. Authorities accused them of attempting to damage relations with Washington. Hasina, 77, escaped by helicopter to India on August 5, following weeks of deadly student-led protests that led to the end of her tenure. Since then, a caretaker government led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus has been in charge of implementing democratic reforms and organizing elections.
Police detained 10 protesters on Saturday, labeling them "conspirators" and accusing them of trying to destabilize the country, which has a population of around 170 million. "We are evaluating their crimes to file charges," stated Dhaka Metropolitan Police spokesman Muhammad Talebur Rahman. The small protest occurred before a planned rally by Hasina's Awami League, but the interim government, which labels the group "fascist," prohibited the gathering. Only a handful of pro-Hasina supporters took to the streets on Sunday, resulting in minor clashes with student counter-protesters.
Dozens of Hasina's allies were arrested after her regime fell, accused of involvement in a police crackdown that killed over 700 people during the unrest that deposed her. Other party loyalists went into hiding. Police reported that an audio recording of Hasina circulating on social media urged her supporters to protest on Sunday, carrying placards with Trump's photo and US flags. "She instructed them to use the placards as shields and to capture photos and video footage if there were any attacks," police stated in a release. "They were plotting to undermine Bangladesh's friendly relationship with the United States."
Hasina's party had, without evidence, accused the US government under President Joe Biden of encouraging the protest against her rule, claims the White House dismissed as "simply false." Her 15-year-long regime was marked by incidents of preventing the opposition from exercising their democratic rights. Yunus, an 84-year-old microfinance pioneer who took over after Hasina's ouster, expressed his eagerness to collaborate following Trump's election victory. Police noted that the Awami League had not sought permission to hold a rally, while Yunus's press secretary stated that Hasina's party was not permitted to march. "The Awami League, in its current form, is a fascist party," Shafiqul Alam wrote in a statement. "Anyone attempting to hold rallies, gatherings, or processions under orders from the mass murderer and dictator Sheikh Hasina will face the full force of law enforcement agencies."
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