Current:Home > BackBangladesh court denies opposition leader’s bail request ahead of a national election-LoTradeCoin
Bangladesh court denies opposition leader’s bail request ahead of a national election
View Date:2024-12-24 00:19:04
DHAKA,Bangladesh (AP) — A court in Bangladesh’s capital on Monday denied a bail request from a top opposition leader who was jailed, pending investigation, following an October anti-government protest that turned violent and is therefore unable to guide his party ahead of a general election next month.
Magistrate Rajesh Chowdhury made the ruling during a Chief Metropolitan Court hearing where Bangladesh Nationalist Party Secretary-General,Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir appeared. The same court also denied a bail petition from another senior party leader, Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, a former commerce minister.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party, led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, is boycotting the Jan. 7 election after its demands for a caretaker government to organize the voting were not met. The party accused Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of rigging the 2018 vote and says it does not have any faith the next election will be conducted fairly.
Supporters argue the election will not reflect the will of voters without the main opposition party’s participation.
Alamgir is the party’s key leader since the ailing Zia is hospitalized and faces 17 years of imprisonment following her conviction in two corruption cases that her party says were politically motivated.
The boycott of the election by Zia’s party means voters in the South Asian nation of 166 million have little choice but to reelect Hasina as she seeks a fourth consecutive term. Hasina, Zia’s archrival, has pledged a free and fair election.
The party’s decision to boycott the polls comes amid a monthslong crackdown on opposition politicians and other government critics. It says more than 20,000 party people have been arrested across the country since Oct. 28, the day of a massive rally where a police official was killed, allegedly by Zia’s supporters.
Alamgir was arrested on sabotage charges the day after the event. The magistrate on Monday denied a request for Alamgir and Khasru to be transferred to police custody for 10 days so they could be interrogated, saying police could question them in jail, if necessary.
veryGood! (9)
Related
- Maryland man wanted after 'extensive collection' of 3D-printed ghost guns found at his home
- Immigration helped fuel rise in 2023 US population. Here's where the most growth happened.
- Methamphetamine, fentanyl drive record homeless deaths in Portland, Oregon, annual report finds
- I am just waiting to die: Social Security clawbacks drive some into homelessness
- Man accused of killing American tourist in Budapest, putting her body in suitcase: Police
- Police officer crashes patrol car into St. Louis gay bar then arrests co-owner for assault
- Arizona lawmaker Athena Salman resigning at year’s end, says she will join an abortion rights group
- Custom made by Tulane students, mobility chairs help special needs toddlers get moving
- Waymo’s robotaxis now open to anyone who wants a driverless ride in Los Angeles
- Teen who planned Ohio synagogue attack must write book report on WWII hero who saved Jews
Ranking
- ‘I got my life back.’ Veterans with PTSD making progress thanks to service dog program
- Demi Lovato’s Ex Max Ehrich Sets the Record Straight on Fake Posts After Her Engagement to Jutes
- South Korean court orders 2 Japanese companies to compensate wartime Korean workers for forced labor
- India’s opposition lawmakers protest their suspension from Parliament by the government
- Biden EPA to charge first-ever ‘methane fee’ for drilling waste by oil and gas companies
- Michigan receives official notice of allegations from NCAA for recruiting violations
- Stock market today: Asian shares fall as Wall Street retreats, ending record-setting rally
- See Meghan Markle Return to Acting for Coffee Campaign
Recommendation
-
Mattel says it ‘deeply’ regrets misprint on ‘Wicked’ dolls packaging that links to porn site
-
How a utility company fought to keep two Colorado towns hooked on fossil fuels
-
Cat-owner duo in Ohio shares amputee journey while helping others through animal therapy
-
AP PHOTOS: Young Kenyan ballet dancers stage early Christmas performance for their community
-
'Wanted' posters plastered around University of Rochester target Jewish faculty members
-
Vigil held for 5-year-old migrant boy who died at Chicago shelter
-
Chemical leaks at cheese factory send dozens of people to the hospital
-
Dollarizing Argentina