International

Election authorities in Bangladesh have rejected former prime minister Khaleda Zia's application to run in this month's parliamentary election over two graft convictions. ‘Her candidacy has been rejected as per the law,’ election official Mohammad Wahiduzzaman said at the end of an examination of her nomination papers at a parliamentary constituency in eastern Bangladeshi district of Feni. Zia, the chief of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), filed nomination papers from two other seats in northern Bogra district to contest the December 30 election. Those were also rejected on the same grounds. The BNP said it planned to challenge the election commission's decision. The 73-year old politician has been in jail since February after a court convicted her of misappropriating funds intended for an orphanage and sentenced her to five years in prison. The sentence was doubled to 10 years by a higher court in October. Zia was also convicted of illegally raising charitable funds by using the power of her office during her second term (2001-2006) as prime minister. Mahbubey Alam, Bangladesh's attorney general, referred to a Supreme Court ruling in telling reporters in Dhaka that anyone convicted and sentenced to two years or more in jail is not qualified to contest an election. BNP spokesman Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed said he blamed the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for keeping Zia away from the election.

The United States will send 12 teams of observers and fund thousands of domestic observers to monitor an election in Bangladesh it hopes will be free and fair, a senior official at the US embassy in Dhaka said. Amid opposition concerns about rigging in the Dec. 30 general election, there has been speculation about US plans for it, especially after the European Union this week said it would not send observers, nor comment on the vote or result. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is seeking a third straight term. Her old rival, Khaleda Zia, who leads the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, is in jail after being convicted on charges she says were politically motivated. Scores of BNP workers have also been detained. The BNP boycotted the last election, in 2014, as unfair, but has said it will take part this time, though it is seeking international monitors of polls it says it believes will be flawed. The United States is sending a dozen teams, each of about two observers, who will fan out to most parts of the country, William Moeller, political officer at the US embassy in Dhaka, told Reuters. "The Bangladesh government has emphasized that it plans to hold a free and fair election," Moeller said this week. "We welcome that and are providing funding for election observers who hope to see such an outcome." Moeller referred to reports of harassment and intimidation before recent city corporation elections, which he said may have suppressed voter turnout. "We raised these concerns at the time, so we are hoping we won’t see the same issues in the national elections.” The US National Democratic Institute said after an assessment in October the polls would be held "amid a high degree of political polarization, heightened tensions and shrinking political space”. The Bangkok-based Asian Network for Free Elections will send a team of about 30 short- and long-term observers, Moeller said. About 15,000 Bangladeshi observers will be funded jointly by the US Agency for International Development, Britain's Department for International Development and the Swiss government, he said. The domestic observers would spread out but might not be able to reach every polling station, he said. Hasina and Khaleda have alternated in power over the last 28 years. Elections in Bangladesh are often violent and marred by ballot-stuffing and voter intimidation. Hasina's Awami League has held power since 2009 and dispensed from 2014 with a practice of letting a neutral caretaker government oversee elections, to the anger of the BNP. The government has brushed off opposition fears of rigging. "I don’t see any possibility this time, because all the parties are participating, and all of them will have their election agents,” said HT Imam, a political adviser to Hasina. Bangladesh has seen steady economic growth under Hasina and the development of a vibrant garment sector under-pinning export growth, and accounting for 80 percent of the economy. But rights groups have criticized increasing curbs on freedom of speech and the media. Hope to capitalise on dissatisfaction, the BNP has formed an alliance with smaller parties called the National Unity Front and Hasina said this week she expected competitive polls. The EU delegation in Dhaka said it was not sending observers because of growing demand for them amid tight resources. India had no plan to send observers unless Bangladesh asked, an official at the Indian High Commission said.

Bangladesh’s imprisoned opposition leader has been barred from contesting next month’s general election against her arch-rival Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the country’s attorney general said yesterday. Khaleda Zia is serving 10 years for graft but her supporters, who have appealed the charges, had clung to hopes the 73-year-old would be acquitted before the December 30 poll. The Supreme Court yesterday upheld a ruling from a lower court that nobody sentenced to more than two years jail or awaiting appeals could run for election. Zia’s supporters had unsuccessfully appealed that decision by the High Court on Tuesday. “Following this judgement, she cannot take part in the elections,” Attorney General Mahbubey Alam said yesterday. The Bangladesh National Party (BNP), the opposition movement Zia leads from behind bars, had protested the court’s ruling as a “reflection of the government’s wishes”. “This ruling is not acceptable to us at all. We are aggrieved and are protesting it strongly,” said BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir. Zia had hoped to contest three parliamentary seats despite being incarcerated in Dhaka on corruption charges the BNP says were designed to keep her from challenging Hasina. Bangladesh has been led by either Zia or Hasina since the 1990s and the two powerful women have turned from close allies to fierce foes. Just a month from the polls the BNP has not announced an alternative candidate to run against Hasina, who is seeking a third-consecutive term in office. She was elected uncontested in 2014 after the BNP boycotted the ballot, saying it was not free and fair and rigged against Zia. The opposition has demanded Hasina stand down ahead of the election and allow a caretaker government to oversee the country, but the prime minister has refused. The BNP has accused her ruling Awami League of detaining 5,000 opposition activists ahead of the December poll to cripple the party’s grassroots base. Zia’s son, a potential heir to the BNP throne, was sentenced in absentia to life behind bars in October. He lives in exile in London.

Bangladesh's imprisoned opposition leader has been barred from contesting next month's general election against her arch-rival Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the country's attorney general said Wednesday. Khaleda Zia is serving 10 years for graft but her supporters, who have appealed the charges, had clung to hopes the 73-year-old would be acquitted before the December 30 poll. But the Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a ruling from a lower court that nobody sentenced to more than two years jail or awaiting appeals could run for election. Zia's supporters had unsuccessfully appealed that decision by the High Court on Tuesday. ‘Following this judgement, she cannot take part in the elections,’ Attorney General Mahbubey Alam told AFP on Wednesday. The Bangladesh National Party (BNP), the opposition movement Zia leads from behind bars, had protested the court's ruling as a ‘reflection of the government's wishes’. ‘This ruling is not acceptable to us at all. We are aggrieved and are protesting it strongly,’ said BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir. Zia had hoped to contest three parliamentary seats despite being incarcerated in Dhaka on corruption charges the BNP says were designed to keep her from challenging Hasina. Bangladesh has been led by either Zia or Hasina since the 1990s and the two powerful women have turned from close allies to fierce foes. Just a month from the polls the BNP has not announced an alternative candidate to run against Hasina, who is seeking a third-consecutive term in office. She was elected uncontested in 2014 after the BNP boycotted the ballot, saying it was not free and fair and rigged against Zia. The opposition has demanded Hasina stand down ahead of the election and allow a caretaker government to oversee the country, but the prime minister has refused. The BNP has accused her ruling Awami League party of detaining 5,000 opposition activists ahead of the December poll to cripple the party's grassroots base. Zia's son, a potential heir to the BNP throne, was sentenced in absentia to life behind bars in October. He lives in exile in London.

Bangladesh cricket superstar Mashrafe Mortaza has defended his decision to enter politics as the “need of the hour” after angering some fans by contesting upcoming elections. Mashrafe, who enjoys rockstar status in cricket-mad Bangladesh, divided opinion when he announced he would run in the December 30 polls on an Awami League ticket. A photograph of the 35-year-old alongside party leader and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina dominated headlines for days. But it split fans in the South Asian nation of 165mn, which this year witnessed major rallies against the Awami League, which has jailed opponents and stifled dissent. “I believe that every conscious, worthy and honest Bangladeshi should enter politics,” Mashrafe said late Sunday in his first public remarks since announcing his candidacy. “Maybe many can’t find the courage for different reasons and mental limitations. I thought that it was important to break this mental barrier. So, I myself took the initiative to fulfil my desire,” he said in a Facebook post. Earlier, the Awami League confirmed the one-day international captain would contest a parliamentary seat from his home town Narail in southwest Bangladesh. A cricketer moving into politics is nothing new in South Asia, where star players command god-like devotion from millions of fans. It is however rare for a current player to make the change. Mashrafe is expected to skipper Bangladesh in a three-match ODI series against the West Indies on home soil starting December 9. The fast bowler said his political ambitions called at a time when he is contemplating his future, with speculation he could retire from international cricket after next year’s World Cup. “I don’t know what is waiting for me in the next four and half years after the World Cup. So I made an assessment of the time. I listened to the need of the hour. Because I believe, work should be done in due time,” he said. Mashrafe, who has undergone more than half a dozen knee surgeries, has already retired from Twenty20 international cricket and has not played a Test match since 2009.

A group set up to improve safety in Bangladesh’s garment industry after the Rana Plaza disaster in 2013 is warning global fashion firms that they will have to stop sourcing from some factories if the watchdog is forced to close next week. The threat to the apparel sector, which accounts for the bulk of Bangladesh’s exports, comes at a precarious time for the country ahead of an election in December. “The consequences of a closure of the Accord liaison office in Bangladesh will be significant, immediate, and damaging,” said Joris Oldenziel, the deputy director of the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh. More than 200 firms - including the world’s top fashion retailers like Zara-owner Inditex and H&M - signed the legally-binding, five-year Accord after at least 1,100 people were killed when the Rana Plaza complex collapsed. Bangladesh’s government had agreed to allow the body an extension to complete remaining safety fixes and help build up a national regulatory body to take over the Accord’s work. However, the High Court ordered it to close on November 30 “The premature shut down of the Accord, leaving workers in unsafe circumstances, would jeopardise the brands’ ability to source from a safe industry,” Oldenziel said. Low wages have helped Bangladesh build the world’s second-largest garment industry after China, with 4,000 factories employing about 4mn workers. The sector exports more than $30bn worth of clothes a year, mainly to the United States and Europe. Fashion group Esprit, which produces about a third of its garments in Bangladesh, has written to its factories in the country to say that the closure of the Accord’s office in Dhaka will undermine the reputation of the textile industry. “Activism in key market countries could make the Bangladesh brand toxic to consumers in spite of the tremendous improvements that we have achieved in recent years,” Luis Gonzaga, Esprit’s head of global supply, said in the letter to suppliers. The Accord has inspected more than 2,000 factories in Bangladesh and helped draw up plans to fix 150,000 structural and fire hazards. Some 90% of those issues have since been addressed, although many that remain are major problems. The Bangladeshi High Court has ordered the Accord’s Dhaka office to close due to a complaint from a factory owner who was prevented from working with Accord brands after he was accused of falsifying test results on concrete strength in his building. The Accord will keep operating from the Netherlands and remains legally binding on its member companies, but it has warned signatories they may have to stop sourcing from about 500 factories with safety problems if it can no longer inspect them. The Accord and its signatory firms, along with European politicians and campaign groups, have been lobbying the Bangladesh government for help to lift the court order, but with little effect so far. “We don’t need them anymore,” said Bangladesh’s Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed, adding that the government is capable of monitoring factories itself and noting that there is no such international oversight in countries like China or India. However, many experts and campaigners say the Bangladesh regulatory body is not yet ready to take over. Some question whether it will ever be effective given endemic corruption in a country where many politicians also own garment factories. “If they go, Bangladesh’s garment industry will go back to square one. Workers’ rights and safety will not be protected,” said Babul Akhter, president of the Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation. Paul Barrett, deputy director for the Center for Business and Human Rights at the NYU Stern School of Business, said threats by retailers to move elsewhere might not be credible. “I don’t think the big Western brands want to leave. They’ve committed themselves to improving safety,” he said. “Various brands are exploring Ethiopia but there isn’t the capacity to rival what goes on in Bangladesh.” Sweden’s H&M, one of the biggest buyers of garments in Bangladesh and the first Accord signatory, said it will keep up efforts to improve factory safety but will not pull out if the Accord has to close in Dhaka. “We believe any sudden withdrawal from the Bangladesh market would negatively impact the livelihood of the families that depend on the textile industry,” a spokesman said.

Award-winning Bangladeshi photographer and activist Shahidul Alam was released from prison yesterday after more than 100 days behind bars, in a closely watched freedom of speech case. The 63-year-old Alam was arrested on August 5 for making “false” and “provocative” statements on Al Jazeera television and Facebook during student protests.  He was freed from Dhaka’s main jail yesterday after being granted bail last week, his wife Rahnuma Ahmad said. “He is now heading home,” she said. He was being held under controversial internet laws which critics say have been wielded by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to stifle dissent and harass journalists. Alam spoke briefly to reporters after he came out of prison to describe conditions inside jail, Alam’s close associate Rezaur Rahman said. The photographer had previously said he was badly beaten while in custody. Although Alam was granted bail for his release on Thursday last week, he had to wait another five days to be set free as the prosecution moved to appeal against the bail order. He had earlier applied unsuccessfully for bail four times. Alam, whose work has appeared widely in global media and who founded the renowned Pathshala South Asian Media Institute, faces a maximum 14 years in jail if convicted.  His lawyers have argued Alam’s continued detention was “a clear violation” of his fundamental rights under Bangladesh’s constitution. The photographer’s arrest triggered international protests - with rights groups, Nobel laureates and academics calling for his release - and came after a series of mass rallies this summer after two teenagers were killed by a speeding bus. The massive rallies evolved into broader demonstrations against Hasina, who will seek a third consecutive term next month, and her Awami League party. Alam told Al Jazeera at the time that the protests were the result of pent-up anger at corruption and an “unelected government... clinging on by brute force”. He was arrested the same day, with many other protesters held on similar charges as authorities cracked down on demonstrators. Human Rights Watch accused Bangladesh of targeting activists and journalists in the wake of the protests instead of prosecuting those who attacked students with fists and rods. Michelle Bachelet used her first statement as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to raise the issue of attacks on journalists in Bangladesh. In recent weeks, Hasina has been accused of stifling dissent further by ratifying a controversial new digital-security law. And a prominent critic of the government was arrested for defamation last month, days after he helped form an opposition coalition.

Bangladesh's main opposition party said Tuesday that authorities have cut internet access at its headquarters after its exiled acting chief conducted interviews with potential election candidates via Skype. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) said that internet access at its Dhaka headquarters was cut late on Monday.  "We don't know who did it, but it was done to stop our acting chairman from holding interviews on Skype," party spokesman Sayrul Kabir Khan told AFP. Local media reported meanwhile that Skype, the internet telephone service, has also been cut nationwide but the national telecoms authority denied this, suggesting there were technical problems instead. BNP's acting chief, Tarique Rahman, who is living in exile in Britain, had been helping interview potential candidates ahead of general elections on December 30. There is no immediate comment from police or officials. Bangladesh's ruling Awami League has complained to the election commission that Rahman's participation in the interviews was illegal as he has criminal convictions. Rahman was sentenced in absentia to life in prison last month over his role in the 2004 grenade attack on a political rally of current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.  But the election commission has said it cannot take any action against him because Rahman has not violated any rules in taking part in the interviews. The 165-million-strong South Asian nation is gearing up for its first competitive election in 10 years after the BNP and its allies boycotted 2014 polls over fears it would be rigged. The opposition has demanded that Hasina quit before the polls and let a caretaker government oversee them. But Hasina has rejected the idea. The party has also accused the government of ordering police to detain thousands of its activists in an effort to weaken its nationwide grassroots ahead of the vote.

Former Bangladesh prime minister Khaleda Zia has sought a stay on the 10-year prison sentence awarded to her in orphanage graft case, her lawyer said yesterday. The petition to stay the verdict in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case was filed a day after Khaleda, also the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson, challenged the trial court’s verdict in the case. Her lawyer Kaysar Kamal filed a petition with the appellate division chamber judge earlier in the day, reports bdnews24. A bail petition has also been submitted alongside it, he said. “Khaleda had been sentenced to five years in prison in a false, fabricated and fake case,” Kamal told the media. “The BNP chairperson then challenged the trial court’s verdict at the High Court. We believed the situation would be redressed. “But, astonishingly, the date of the verdict was announced before the hearings came to an end. We could not even complete the hearings of the ACC (Anti-Corruption Commission) petition to extend her sentence.” The lawyer also claimed that the doubling of Khaleda’s sentence was unprecedented. “Usually a sentence is reduced on appeal. But in Khaleda’s case it was increased. This is completely motivated by politics.” BNP leaders hope that by staying the sentences of these two cases, the former leader will be able to participate in the upcoming general election. The BNP leadership has bought nomination papers for three constituencies on her behalf. On February 8, the trial court had convicted her of embezzling 21mn taka in foreign donations meant for the Zia Orphanage Trust. She was sentenced to five years in prison. The sentence was increased to 10 years by the High Court on October 30.

Bangladesh police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at opposition party supporters in the capital Dhaka yesterday as tension soared weeks before a general election. Activists of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) set fire to police vans, cars and motorbikes, according to police and media. “Our force was attacked without any reason. They were only trying to ease the traffic flow but suddenly they were targeted,” said Masudur Rahman, a spokesman for the Dhaka Metropolitan Police. The BNP supporters had been accompanying an election candidate who was picking up election nomination papers from the party’s offices in the city. Police initially asked the group of more than 500 people to disperse because they were creating a traffic jam but an altercation ensued and fistfights broke out. The BNP said at least 12 of its supporters were injured. Police said at least 20 officers were hurt. BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir denounced the police action as an “injustice”, and part of a government plot to exclude the party from the December 30 election. Minister of Home Affairs Asaduzzaman Khan told reporters authorities would check video footage of the confrontation and take legal action aginst those identified as having attacked the police or set fire to vehicles. Unrest usually breaks out during general elections in Bangladesh, where politics has for more than two decades been dominated by the rivalry between two women leaders - Sheikh Hasina, current prime minister, and former premier Khaleda Zia, who are both related to former national  leaders. Khaleda’s BNP says a caretaker government is essential for free and fair elections, alleging that otherwise Hasina’s ruling Awami League will use the machinery of government to support its campaign. The BNP is in disarray following the jailing early this year on corruption charges of Khaleda, on what the party says were trumped-up charges to keep her out of politics. The last election, in 2014, which the BNP boycotted, was marred by deadly violence and criticised by international observers as flawed. An alliance of opposition parties, including the BNP, said on Sunday it would contest the election despite the Awami League’s rejection of the demand for a caretaker government. The alliance met with the Bangladesh Election Commission yesterday to ask for the election to be delayed by another three weeks to allow more time for organising and campaigning. The commission has not yet responded to the request. The poll has already been delayed  one week. Hasina’s government has won global plaudits for letting in hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, but its critics accuse it of increasing authoritarianism. In particular, they have attacked Hasina for they say was the government’s heavy-handed policing of student protests this year and a crackdown on free speech.

Sri Lanka’s parliament yesterday voted out the bitterly disputed government of former strongman Mahinda Rajapakse, removing one controversial figure but leaving the country in a power vacuum. The island nation has been in crisis since the president sacked prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on October 26 and replaced him with Rajapakse, who served as president until being voted out three years ago. On Tuesday the Supreme Court overruled the president’s dissolution of parliament and halted preparations for a snap election, in a major boost for the ousted prime minister.  In stormy scenes yesterday, legislators gave their verdict on the two rivals - with a majority in the 225-member assembly supporting a no-confidence motion against Rajapakse. Parliament also passed motions declaring illegal the November 9 proclamations made by President Maithripala Sirisena to enshrine the power shift. The result, however, does not automatically mean that Wickremesinghe, who has refused to leave the prime minister’s residence, has won the constitutional showdown. An aide of Sirisena said that he was most likely to hand over power to Wickremesinghe’s United National Party (UNP) after Rajapakse failed to defeat the no-trust move. A cabinet member loyal to Sirisena, Media Minister Dayasiri Jayasekara said yesterday’s vote was “unethical” as it was rushed despite their protests. However, he said the president would resolve the power vacuum “in a very short time”. Day-to-day administration remains paralysed as the crisis drags on and there are growing fears for the economy and Sri Lanka’s ability to repay its huge foreign debts. Though Wickremesinghe’s UNP is the biggest in parliament, Sirisena retains the power to choose the next prime minister. The UNP leader, who left his bunker at the Temple Trees official residence for the first time in nearly three weeks to go to parliament, still hailed the vote. “This is a victory for the people,” Wickremesinghe told reporters, condemning the president’s actions as “illegal”. He said officials should no longer take orders from the Rajapakse-led “purported  government”. The UNP said that Sirisena must now call on Wickremesinghe to form a new government. UNP deputy leader Sajith Premadasa said: “For me, he is still the prime minister. Today, democracy prevailed.” In a chaotic session, 72-year-old Rajapakse and his legislator son Namal walked out of the red-carpeted chamber just before Speaker Karu Jayasuriya called for a vote. Lawmakers loyal to Rajapakse attempted to grab the mace, the assembly’s symbol of authority, to disrupt the vote, but the speaker pressed ahead. “The ayes have it,” the speaker announced. “I rule that this House does not have confidence in the government (of Rajapakse).” Several Rajapakse ministers came out of parliament accusing the speaker of violating parliamentary norms by holding the crucial vote. “He has no bloody business calling a vote,” Leader of the House Dinesh Gunawardena told reporters. However, shortly after the collapse of Rajapakse’s administration, three of his ministers switched to Wickremesinghe’s side.  A total of 122 legislators in the 225-member assembly supported the no-confidence move against Rajapakse. It was nine more than the mandatorily  required 113.

Bangladesh police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at opposition party supporters in the capital Dhaka yesterday as tension soared weeks before a general election. Activists of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) set fire to police vans, cars and motorbikes, according to police and media. “Our force was attacked without any reason. They were only trying to ease the traffic flow but suddenly they were targeted,” said Masudur Rahman, a spokesman for the Dhaka Metropolitan Police. The BNP supporters had been accompanying an election candidate who was picking up election nomination papers from the party’s offices in the city. Police initially asked the group of more than 500 people to disperse because they were creating a traffic jam but an altercation ensued and fistfights broke out. The BNP said at least 12 of its supporters were injured. Police said at least 20 officers were hurt. BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir denounced the police action as an “injustice”, and part of a government plot to exclude the party from the December 30 election. Minister of Home Affairs Asaduzzaman Khan told reporters authorities would check video footage of the confrontation and take legal action aginst those identified as having attacked the police or set fire to vehicles. Unrest usually breaks out during general elections in Bangladesh, where politics has for more than two decades been dominated by the rivalry between two women leaders - Sheikh Hasina, current prime minister, and former premier Khaleda Zia, who are both related to former national  leaders. Khaleda’s BNP says a caretaker government is essential for free and fair elections, alleging that otherwise Hasina’s ruling Awami League will use the machinery of government to support its campaign. The BNP is in disarray following the jailing early this year on corruption charges of Khaleda, on what the party says were trumped-up charges to keep her out of politics. The last election, in 2014, which the BNP boycotted, was marred by deadly violence and criticised by international observers as flawed. An alliance of opposition parties, including the BNP, said on Sunday it would contest the election despite the Awami League’s rejection of the demand for a caretaker government. The alliance met with the Bangladesh Election Commission yesterday to ask for the election to be delayed by another three weeks to allow more time for organising and campaigning. The commission has not yet responded to the request. The poll has already been delayed  one week. Hasina’s government has won global plaudits for letting in hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, but its critics accuse it of increasing authoritarianism. In particular, they have attacked Hasina for they say was the government’s heavy-handed policing of student protests this year and a crackdown on free speech.

Bangladesh police fired rubber bullets and teargas at a group of opposition party supporters in the capital, Dhaka, on Wednesday as tension soared weeks before a general election. Activists of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) responded to the police action by setting fire to police vans and cars, as well as several motor-bikes, according to police and media. "Our force was attacked without any reason. They were only trying to ease the traffic flow but suddenly they were targeted," said Masudur Rahman, a spokesman for the Dhaka Metropolitan Police. The BNP supporters were accompanying an election candidate who was picking up election nomination papers from the party's offices in the city. Police initially asked the group numbering more than 500 to disperse because they were creating a traffic jam but an altercation ensued and fist-fights broke out between the BNP supporters and police. The BNP said that at least 12 of its supporters were injured. Police said at least 20 officers were hurt. BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir denounced the police action as an "injustice", and part of a government plot to exclude the party from the Dec. 30 election. General elections are invariably volatile in Bangladesh where politics has for more than two decades been dominated by rivalry between two women leaders - Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia - both of whom have been prime minister. Hasina, who is prime minister now, and Khaleda, leader of the BNP, are both related to former national leaders. The BNP says a caretaker government is essential for free and fair elections as otherwise it says Hasina's ruling Awami League will use the machinery of government to support its campaign. The BNP is in disarray following the jailing early this year on corruption charges of Khaleda, on what the party says were trumped-up charges to keep her out of politics. The last election, in 2014, which the BNP boycotted, was marred by deadly violence and criticised by international observers as flawed. An alliance of opposition parties, including the BNP, said on Sunday it would contest the election despite the Awami League's rejection of its demand for a caretaker government. Hasina’s government has won global plaudits for letting in hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar. In particular, they have attacked her for what critics regard as the government’s heavy-handed policing of student protests this year and a crackdown on free speech.

The UN rights chief on Tuesday urged Bangladesh to halt plans to repatriate more than 2,200 Rohingya Muslims to Myanmar, amid reports of continued violations against the minority. Bangladeshi authorities plan to begin returning Rohingya refugees, who have fled what the UN has called ethnic cleansing, to the Buddhist majority country from Thursday. But the prospect has created panic in the camps, prompting some families who were due to be among the first to be repatriated to flee, according to community leaders.  "We are witnessing terror and panic among those Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazar who are at imminent risk of being returned to Myanmar against their will," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said in a statement. "Forcibly expelling or returning refugees and asylum seekers to their home country would be a clear violation of the core legal principle of non-refoulement, which forbids repatriation where there are threats of persecution or serious risks to the life and physical integrity or liberty of the individuals," she said. More than 725,000 Rohingya Muslims fled Myanmar's western Rakhine state following a military crackdown from August last year, bringing with them stories of murders, rapes and torture. They have joined some 300,000 Rohingya already living in squalid camps in Bangladesh's southeast for years. Many of them witnessed the killing of members of their families and the burning of their homes and villages, the UN rights office said, adding that it continued to receive reports of ongoing violations against Rohingya still in Rakhine. Despite the fact that the refugees have repeatedly said they do not wish to return under the current conditions, some 2,260 of them are scheduled to enter Myanmar from Bangladesh's southeastern Cox's Bazar district in the first repatriations starting Thursday. The UN pointed out several of the refugee families apparently listed for return are headed by women or children. "Some of the refugees have threatened suicide if they are forced to repatriate, and two elderly men in Cox's Bazar have already attempted suicide," the rights office said. Bachelet stressed that "the human rights violations committed against the Rohingya in Myanmar amount to the worst atrocities, including crimes against humanity and possibly even genocide." "With an almost complete lack of accountability - indeed with ongoing violations - returning Rohingya refugees to Myanmar at this point effectively means throwing them back into the cycle of human rights violations that this community has been suffering for decades."

Bangladesh authorities on Monday announced they were delaying next month's general election by a week following an appeal from the country's opposition alliance, an official said. ‘The vote will now be held on December 30,’ Election Commission spokesman S.M Asaduzzaman told AFP. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) had protested the December 23 election date announced last week, saying more time was needed to prepare for the poll. The BNP -- whose leader Khaleda Zia is behind bars -- had asked for an extra month to campaign against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The prime minister, who is running for a third consecutive term in office, has been accused of cracking down on her opponents ahead of the poll, with thousands of BNP activists detained in recent months. A party spokesman warned the opposition could reconsider its decision to contest the election if an even playing field were not assured. ‘Our activists are still being arrested,’ BNP spokesman Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said in Dhaka. ‘We have said we would definitely rethink our decision if this doesn't stop and an environment is not created for a vote.’ The BNP boycotted the 2014 election over fears it would be rigged, allowing Hasina to walk into a second term unchallenged. Veteran opposition leader Khaleda Zia remains behind bars serving a decade-long jail term for corruption charges her supporters say were politically motivated. Zia, 73, has virtually no time to appeal her sentence and will almost certainly be banned from contesting the election against her arch-rival Hasina. The opposition also says some 5,000 of its activists have been detained in a recent crackdown, depriving it of a grassroots presence vital to fight any polls. The arrest of activists and prominent dissidents including student leaders and a top photographer have also cast a shadow over the buildup to the vote. The opposition has said the charges against Zia, a two-time former prime minister, and other party activists was deliberately planned by the ruling party. Early this month Hasina rejected a request from the BNP and its allies to dissolve parliament and let a neutral caretaker government organise the election. It had also asked for Zia to be released so she could run.

An alliance of opposition parties in Bangladesh, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), said yesterday it plans to contest the December 23 general election, despite the ruling Awami League rejecting a series of its demands. The BNP, which has been one of the two main parties in the country since 1978, boycotted the last election in 2014. In particular, the Jatiya Oikyafront, a 20-party alliance led by 81-year-old politician and lawyer Kamal Hossain, had wanted a caretaker government to take over in the weeks heading into the polls. The BNP says a caretaker government is essential for free and fair elections as otherwise it claims the Awami League will use the machinery of government to support its campaign. The Awami League says the  demand is unconstitutional. The BNP, which is in disarray following the jailing on corruption charges of its chief, former prime minister Khaleda Zia, had also pressed for a caretaker government at the 2014 election and pulled out after the demand was not met. The last election was marred by deadly violence and shunned by international observers as flawed. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda, who between them have ruled Bangladesh for decades, are bitter rivals and the BNP says its leader has been jailed on trumped-up charges to keep her out of politics. Hasina is seeking to be re-elected for a third successive term. “With the aim of rescuing democracy and a continuation of the movement to sustain a democratic process, Jatiya Oikyafront decided to participate in the election,” Hossain said in a statement, following days of deliberation with alliance  members. The alliance will fight for all 300 directly elected seats in parliament. Hossain has said he will not be seeking public office so it is unclear who would become prime minister if the alliance were to win the election. Hasina’s government has won global plaudits for letting in hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees who fled persecution in Myanmar, but its critics have decried Hasina’s increasingly authoritarian rule. In particular, they have attacked her for the government’s heavy-handed handling of student protests this year and  its crackdown on free speech. The opposition says that it has been told it will be able to hold public meetings but alliance officials say that in practice they fear that their applications for assemblies will be rejected or the gatherings disrupted. Hossain said that mass detentions of activists ahead of a meeting had been one such disruptive tactic used by the  authorities. Although, freedom of assembly is a right in Bangladesh’s constitution, the authorities often prevent protests and meetings from taking place in the interests of national security and maintaining public order. Hossain asked the government to delay the election by a month to give it more time in which to campaign but the request is unlikely to be granted. Hasina and the Awami League have the backing of most media in Bangladesh, including all the major TV stations. Mahbub-Ul Hanif, joint general secretary of the Awami League, dismissed the opposition’s concerns about public assemblies, saying it had already held two such gatherings. He said there could be delays in granting permission while safety and security is assessed. He said that the election schedule is in the hands of an independent Election Commission. The Oxford-educated Hossain served in Bangladesh’s first post-independence government between 1972 and 1975 as law, foreign and energy minister. He also led the process that produced the nation’s constitution. He has fallen out with Hasina and the Awami League and runs the Gono Forum (‘Forum of the Masses’) party. He has been highly critical of Hasina’s human rights record and has defended in court jailed photographer Shahidul Alam, who was arrested for comments he made on social media during the student protests.

Bangladesh's main opposition party said Sunday it would not boycott next month's general election and would challenge Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the polls, despite its leader being in jail. ‘We have announced that we will participate in the election,’ Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) senior leader Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain told AFP. The BNP boycotted the 2014 election that returned Hasina to power over fears it would be rigged. The party has expressed fears this poll, slated for December 23 by the election commission, will not be democratic and has threatened protests. BNP veteran leader Khaleda Zia remains behind bars serving a decade-long jail term for corruption charges her supporters say were politically motivated. Zia, 73, has virtually no time to appeal her sentence and will almost certainly be banned from contesting the election against her arch-rival Hasina. The opposition says some 5,000 of its activists have been detained in a recent crackdown, depriving it of a grassroots presence vital to fight any polls. The arrest of activists and prominent dissidents including student leaders and a top photographer have also cast a shadow over the buildup to the vote. The opposition has said the charges against Zia and other party activists were deliberately planned.

Bangladesh’s Chief Election Commissioner said yesterday that the South Asian nation would hold a general election on December 23, and vowed that the Election Commission would ensure a free and fair election.  K M Nurul Huda, the head of the Election Commission, said he hoped all parties will participate in the election, in which Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is seeking to get re-elected. “A favourable situation prevails in the country to hold a free and fair election,” Huda said during a nationwide address aired by state-run television and radio stations, adding almost all preparations for an election were already complete. While Hasina’s government has won widespread global plaudits for letting in hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees who fled persecution in Myanmar, its critics have decried Hasina’s increasingly authoritarian rule, the government’s handling of student protests this year and its crackdown on free speech. Huda said there would be 40,000 voting centres across the nation, and more than 600,000 law enforcement personnel would be deployed to ensure a free and fair election.  Bangladesh’s ruling Awami League party on Wednesday rejected an opposition party’s demand for a caretaker government ahead of the election. The opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) says that a caretaker government is essential for free and fair polls, but the ruling party says the demand is unconstitutional. “I urge political parties to participate in the election to make it meaningful,” said Huda, adding that if parties have any differences of opinion they should resolve these via talks, but not boycott the elections. It is still not immediately clear whether the BNP plans to contest the elections. BNP boycotted the last election in 2014 that was marred by deadly violence and shunned by international observers as flawed. Following Huda’s announcement, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told Reuters that his party and its allies were still deliberating whether to participate. He said the BNP had asked the commission to defer the vote, but that its wishes had not been met. “There is no reflection of public wishes and expectations in the schedule and it is moving toward a unilateral election,” he said. The BNP, which is in disarray following the jailing of its chief, former prime minister Khaleda Zia, on corruption charges, had also pressed for a caretaker government at the 2014 election and boycotted it after the demand was not met.  Hasina and Khaleda, who between them have ruled Bangladesh for decades, are bitter rivals and the BNP says its leader has been jailed on trumped-up charges to keep her out of politics. Separately, certain civil society groups and activists have also criticised the country’s new Digital Security Act, and a new Broadcast law that is under consideration, warning these regulations would erode free speech in the country ahead of the election.

Bangladesh’s ruling party has rejected an opposition party’s demand for a caretaker government it says is essential for a free and fair general election due to be held in December. Although Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League had agreed to unprecedented talks last week with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) to discuss the arrangement, yesterday it declared the demand was unconstitutional. “Our prime minister told them there is no provision in our constitution to form such a caretaker government,” said Obaidul Quader, her party’s secretary-general.  The BNP, which is in disarray after the jailing of its chief, former prime minister Khaleda Zia, on corruption charges, also pressed for a caretaker government at the last general election in 2014. When that demand was not met, it boycotted the poll. The party and its allies were still undecided whether to participate in the election, BNP Secretary-General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told Reuters. Quader said the Awami League would ensure a level playing field by preventing ministers from using government buildings or vehicles for the next three months. Hasina and Khaleda, who between them have ruled Bangladesh for decades, are bitter rivals and the BNP says its leader has been jailed on trumped-up charges to keep her out of politics. Yesterday the Awami League also rejected BNP demands to reconsider Khaleda’s sentence, which was doubled to 10 years on October 30, so ruling her out of December’s contest. “We told them the High Court already announced its verdict about Khaleda Zia,” Quader said.

Bangladesh police said yesterday they had killed the chief of Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), an extremist group accused of murdering secular activists and inspiring a cafe siege that killed 22 people. Khorshed Alam, described as the “emir” of Bangladesh’s deadliest Islamist outfit, was gunned down early yesterday morning in the northern town of Shibganj, police spokesman Sonaton Chokraborty said. “He died before we could bring him to hospital,” Chokraborty said of the 38-year-old militant. Police say Alam emerged after JMB’s old guard was weakened by the execution of its former commander Shaikh Abdur Rahman, and five other top chiefs, in March 2007. He is accused of masterminding a number of attacks across Bangladesh, including most recently the murder of writer and publisher Shahzahan Bachchu in the central  district of Munshiganj in June. He also spearheaded a daring ambush on a prison van in 2014 that allowed two senior JMB foot soldiers to escape, police said. In recent years, a splinter faction inspired by JMB’s earlier leadership grabbed headlines after five of its young members stormed an upmarket Dhaka cafe in July 2016 and murdered 22 people, including 18 foreigners. Bangladesh police launched a massive crackdown on extremists since the cafe siege, killing more than 80 suspected Islamists and arresting  hundreds more. They included the alleged commanders of the new  JMB faction. JMB was founded by Bangladeshi radicals hardened from fighting in the Afghan civil war during the 1990s. The returning extremists waged a campaign of violence across Bangladesh – a secular democracy – for nearly two decades, targeting religious minorities, foreign aid workers and liberal writers in bomb and knife attacks.