Bangladesh's Opposition Party Vows to Persist Despite Government Crackdown Ahead of Election

Bangladesh's main opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), has announced that it will continue its anti-government protests despite what a rights group has called an "autocratic crackdown" ahead of the general election in January. The BNP, whose top leadership is either jailed or in exile, has stated that it will boycott the election if Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina does not resign and allow a caretaker government to oversee the poll. Violent protests have been taking place across the country, resulting in the deaths of at least four people and the injury of hundreds.

Abdul Moyeen Khan, a former minister and member of the BNP's highest policy-making body, has stated that the party's peaceful and democratic protest programs will continue until the fundamental voting rights of the people of Bangladesh are restored. However, a crude bomb explosion in Dhaka during a countrywide transport blockade called by the BNP resulted in two injuries. The BNP has accused the government of misrule and lawlessness, stating that people have no civil rights and no guarantee of living in safety. Senior BNP official Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has called for the acceleration of the ongoing movement and the victory of the people.

Prime Minister Hasina, seeking her fourth consecutive term in office, has repeatedly ruled out handing power to a caretaker government and has accused the BNP of terrorism and hooliganism. Since the announcement of the election on November 15, the BNP claims that four people have been killed, and more than 5,330 people have been arrested. However, the police assert that they have only arrested those responsible for violence. Human Rights Watch has accused the government of targeting opposition leaders and supporters, stating that security forces have used excessive force, conducted mass arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, torture, and extrajudicial killings.

The government denies these accusations but is facing pressure from Western countries to ensure free and fair elections. Khaleda Zia, the BNP leader and two-time former premier, is effectively under house arrest on what her party has deemed to be fabricated corruption charges. As the election date approaches, tensions continue to rise in Bangladesh, with the BNP determined to fight for the restoration of voting rights and the government facing international scrutiny over its handling of the opposition.