Bangladesh’s Growing Crackdown: From Promises of Democracy to a Wave of Arrests
In the wake of Sheikh Hasina’s government falling in August, Bangladesh is facing a sharp rise in political unrest. The interim government, headed by Nobel winner Muhammad Yunus, started with big promises of quick elections and a return to democracy. But things have taken a dark turn, as a recent op-ed in Eurasia Review points out.
The piece, titled "A Nation On Trial: Bangladesh Arrest Surge Threatens Democracy," dated September 11, highlights how those early hopes are fading fast. Instead of election plans, the country is seeing a surge in arbitrary arrests, heavy surveillance, and efforts to crush peaceful protests. Months have gone by without any clear roadmap for polls, and now even simple acts of free speech are getting slapped with serious charges.
Take what happened in Tejgaon, for example. Nine people got arrested just for chanting slogans supporting Hasina during a spontaneous march. Authorities called it "sabotage," turning what should be protected free expression into a crime. This crackdown isn’t limited to the streets—it’s spreading to everyday folks and quiet acts of dissent.
Eurasia Review reports that even symbolic protests are now seen as threats to national security. One striking case is Mahila Awami League leader Nahida Noor Sweety. She quietly joined a rally after prayers and got tracked down and arrested. Officials accused her of funding protests, using her arrest to scare off other leaders and quiet supporters.
The net is widening to include intellectuals and ex-officials too. Abu Alam Shahid Khan, a Liberation War veteran and Hasina’s former press secretary, landed in jail for simply attending a roundtable on constitutional reforms. He’s not alone—Professor Nazmul Ahsan Kalimullah, law expert Hafizur Rahman Curzon, and journalist Manjurul Alam Panna faced arrests for similar reasons. The op-ed calls this a clear push to shut down open discussions and civil discourse in Bangladesh.
Student activists aren’t safe either. Leaders like Sheikh Ibne Sadiq and Amir Hamza are behind bars for ties to banned political groups. These moves, the article argues, aren’t really about keeping people safe—they’re aimed at breaking the opposition’s structure and weakening political organizing.
Even violent clashes are fueling the repression. In Chittagong’s Saltgola Crossing, a fight left a police officer injured, leading to 19 arrests and charges against dozens more, many without names. Instead of targeting just the troublemakers, authorities rounded up political activists, using the incident as an excuse for a broader crackdown.
All this is creating a thick atmosphere of fear across Bangladesh. People are holding back from speaking out, organizing, or joining political talks. Self-censorship is everywhere, and what looks like calm is really just enforced silence. As Eurasia Review warns, the country isn’t just muzzling dissent—it’s redefining what’s even allowed.
The op-ed ends on a urgent note: Bangladesh needs free, fair elections soon to fix this mess. Without them, the slide toward authoritarianism could deepen, turning democracy into a distant memory. As tensions rise, many wonder if the interim government’s promises will ever come true.
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