2 Bangladeshis die after recent protests
Two Bangladeshis have died of injuries sustained during protest rallies that erupted after the arrest of the leaders of the country’s Jamaat-e-Islami party, police say.
On Thursday, a lift operator of a bank succumbed to his injuries after being beaten by angry protesters a day earlier.
A village guard also died of his wounds sustained in another violent protest that was staged near the port city of Chittagong, located 216 kilometers (135 miles) southeast of the capital Dhaka, on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, Bangladeshi demonstrators demanding the release of jailed leaders of the party clashed with police forces in Dhaka. Protesters gathered near Motijheel — the city’s principal business district — reportedly throwing stones at security forces. In response, police fired tear gas to disperse the demonstrators.
The leaders, who are on trial before Dhaka’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), are accused of playing roles in atrocities committed during the 1971 war of independence against Pakistan.
Opponents call the charges false and accuse the ruling Awami League government of using the Tribunal as a political tool to target the opposition.
Human rights groups have also expressed concern over the fairness of the trials, which they demand be held according to international law.
“There is no scope to give verdict from a controversial tribunal to save the country from the civil war… Don’t push the country towards a civil war by creating discord,” said Selim Uddin, a senior leader of the party, in a statement issued earlier the month.
