No time to read? Just listen to the news!
TL;DR:
- Hasnat Abdullah and Sarjis Alam, leaders of Bangladesh’s anti-discrimination student movement, have called for a siege of the High Court on Wednesday at 11 AM to demand the resignation of pro-Awami League judges.
- The student leaders accused the Awami League of having “blood on their hands” and claimed the country cannot progress until supporters of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina are removed from power.
- The planned siege follows protests by pro-Awami League lawyers at Dhaka’s Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court on Tuesday, where they chanted slogans in support of Sheikh Hasina during remand hearings for former ministers.
- The escalating tensions highlight the deep political divisions in Bangladesh as the country grapples with a transition of power and calls for judicial reforms, with security forces likely to be on high alert around the High Court on Wednesday.
Bangladesh’s anti-discrimination student movement leaders have called for a siege of the High Court on Wednesday, demanding the resignation of judges they describe as “fascist” and loyal to the Awami League party.
Hasnat Abdullah and Sarjis Alam, coordinators of the student movement, announced the planned protest in posts on their verified Facebook profiles on Tuesday evening. They called for supporters to surround the High Court at 11 AM on Wednesday.
“High court siege program tomorrow at 11 am to demand the resignation of the fascist judges of the Awami League,” the leaders wrote in their posts.
In follow-up comments, Hasnat accused the Awami League of having “blood of thousands of students and citizens on its hands” and questioned how they could still rally support for former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Sarjis claimed the country “cannot move forward” until Hasina’s supporters are removed from power.
The announcement comes amid ongoing political turmoil in Bangladesh following Sheikh Hasina’s resignation and flight to India earlier this week. An interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus was sworn in on Thursday to oversee new elections.
The student movement’s planned siege also follows protests by pro-Awami League lawyers at Dhaka’s Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court on Tuesday. Around 50-60 lawyers marched and chanted slogans in support of Sheikh Hasina during remand hearings for former minister Farooq Khan and Abdur Razzak.
The escalating tensions highlight the deep political divisions in Bangladesh as the country grapples with a transition of power and calls for judicial reforms. Security forces are likely to be on high alert around the High Court on Wednesday in anticipation of the planned siege.
Source: Kalbela
