How Bangladesh’s Leader Lost Her Grip on Power

Once viewed as the hope for a democratic future in Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina turned increasingly autocratic during her years as prime minister. Weeks of violent protests ultimately forced her from office on Monday. Mujib Mashal, South Asia bureau chief for The New York Times, explains how Ms. Hasina fought until the very end.
Watch the NYT video report here.
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Bangladesh’s Leader Fled Just Ahead of an Angry Crowd, Urged by Family to Go: As masses of people converged, angry at the killing of protesters, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina insisted that she could hold on, which military leaders said would mean spilling far more blood. »

Manifestations au Bangladesh: la première ministre a démissionné et trouvé refuge en Inde

LE FIGARO : Après la mort de plus de 90 personnes dimanche, 20 nouvelles victimes sont à déplorer dans la capitale bangladaise alors que des manifestants ont pris d'assaut le palais de la première ministre. Le chef de l’armée affirme, quant à lui, «former un gouvernement intérimaire».

La première ministre du Bangladesh a démissionné et trouvé refuge en Inde tandis que le chef de l'armée déclare qu'il va «former un gouvernement intérimaire». Des centaines de milliers de manifestants antigouvernementaux défilent dans les rues de la capitale. Le Figaro fait le point sur la situation ce lundi 5 août. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | lundi 5 août 2024

Bangladesh PM has resigned and left country, army chief confirms: Sheikh Hasina’s reported departure comes as fresh wave of violent protests erupts across country »

At Least 70 Dead as Bangladesh Protests Grow; Curfew Is Reinstated

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Expanded student protests this weekend, after more than 200 people were killed in a government crackdown in July, have plunged the country into a particularly dangerous phase.

A garment store burning on Sunday during protests in Dhaka, Bangladesh. | Abu Sufian Jewel/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
At least 70 people were killed in clashes between security forces and protesters on Sunday in Bangladesh, as the country’s leaders imposed a new curfew and internet restrictions to try to quell a growing antigovernment movement.

The revival of student protests after a deadly government crackdown late last month, as well as a call by the governing party for its own supporters to take to the streets, has plunged the country of over 170 million into a particularly dangerous phase.

The exact number of deaths in the violence on Sunday was unclear, but it appeared to be the deadliest day since the protests began in July. A diplomatic official in Dhaka, the capital, said the toll across Bangladesh was at least 72, while tallies by local news media and the protest coordinators put the count at anywhere from 70 to 93. At least 13 of the dead were police officers, the country’s Police Headquarters said in a statement.

Sunday’s toll added to the more than 200 people killed in the crackdown on protesters last month by security forces under Bangladesh’s increasingly authoritarian leader, Sheikh Hasina. In a sign of the risk of further violence, the protest coordinators said they would march toward Ms. Hasina’s official residence on Monday. » | Saif Hasnat and Mujib Mashal | Saif Hasnat reported from Dhaka, Bangladesh, and Mujib Mashal from New Delhi. | Sunday, August 4, 2024

Au Bangladesh, des ouvriers du textile érigent des barricades pour réclamer des salaires plus élevés

LE MONDE : Plusieurs milliers d’ouvriers, travaillant dans des usines sous-traitantes de grandes marques comme Gap, H&M ou Levi Strauss, manifestent depuis plusieurs jours, confrontés à une augmentation du coût de la vie sans que leur rémunération évolue.

« Nous voulons un salaire décent. » Après plusieurs jours de manifestations au Bangladesh et des heurts qui ont causé la mort d’au moins deux personnes, des milliers d’ouvriers ont érigé des barricades sur des avenues de la capitale, Dacca, mercredi 1er novembre. Ils réclament des hausses de rémunérations aux usines de textile qui fournissent de grandes marques occidentales.

Selon la police, au moins 5 000 ouvriers du textile ont dressé des barrages routiers dans le quartier de Mirpur dans la capitale. Mais selon un correspondant de l’Agence France-Presse (AFP) sur place, le nombre de manifestants pourrait être nettement plus élevé. » | Le Monde avec AFP | mercredi 1 novembre 2023

Bangladesh : les pluies torrentielles de la mousson font plus de cinquante morts

LE MONDE : Les autorités comptent plus d’un million de sinistrés depuis début août à cause des nombreuses inondations et glissements de terrain. Le Royaume-Uni annonce fournir une aide humanitaire de 250 000 livres sterling.

Au moins cinquante-cinq personnes ont péri au Bangladesh à la suite d’inondations et de glissements de terrain causés par des pluies torrentielles, qui ont fait, en outre, plus d’un million de sinistrés depuis le début du mois d’août, ont annoncé dimanche 13 août les autorités.

Vingt et un morts ont été décomptés à Cox’s Bazar, dix-neuf à Chittagong, dix à Bandarban, et cinq à Rangamati, selon des responsables des zones les plus touchées par les intempéries. Le Royaume-Uni a annoncé dimanche qu’il débloquait 250 000 livres sterling (289 000 euros) « pour répondre aux besoins urgents. » » | Le Monde avec AFP | dimanche 13 août 2023

In a Region in Strife, India’s Moral High Ground Erodes

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The hard-line attitude of Narendra Modi’s ruling party toward Muslims has undermined the nation’s reputation as a voice for tolerance in South Asia.

Hindus in Bangladesh protesting the violent attacks against them in Dhaka last month. | Munir Uz Zaman/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
NEW DELHI — The mob rampaged for days, burning homes, breaking into temples and clashing with police, leaving several dead.

The victims were minority Hindus living in Bangladesh, a majority-Muslim nation grappling with increasing extremism, and the violence drew an outcry from politicians in neighboring India. As the region’s traditional center of gravity, India has a history of promoting tolerance. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also positioned himself as the champion of Hindus against a history of victimhood.

But the erosion of human rights in India has weakened its moral high ground in a region where ethnic and sectarian tensions are worsening. Sheikh Hasina — Bangladesh’s prime minister and a close ally, who had just sent Mr. Modi 71 red roses on his birthday — had pointed words for India, even as she promised to hunt the culprits.

“We expect that nothing happens there,” Ms. Hasina said, “which could influence any situation in Bangladesh affecting our Hindu community here.” » | Mujib Mashal | Saturday, November 6, 2021

Bangladesh: plus de 50 morts dans le gigantesque incendie d'une usine

LE POINT : Au moins 52 personnes ont péri et une trentaine ont été blessées selon les autorités vendredi dans un gigantesque incendie qui a ravagé une usine près de Dacca au Bangladesh, où de nombreux ouvriers ont dû sauter par les fenêtres pour échapper au brasier.

On ignorait encore vendredi le nombre total de personnes qui se trouvaient dans le bâtiment de six étages situé à Rupganj, une ville industrielle proche de la capitale. Et des familles continuaient d'attendre des nouvelles de leurs proches près de l'usine qui était toujours la proie des flammes. » | Source AFP | vendredi 9 juillet 2021

Bangladesh: Tens of Thousands Flee Dhaka amid COVID Surge | DW News

Jun 28, 2021 • Tens of thousands of migrants are fleeing Bangladesh's capital Dhaka amid a surge in coronavirus infections. The spike has prompted the government to tighten restrictions beginning Monday. The lockdown will curtail most economic activity and confine people to their homes.

Now those who moved to Dhaka for work are rushing to return to their home villages before the lockdown takes effect. Thousands are cramming onto ferries hoping for a spot to get home.

Being so close to others in a pandemic isn't ideal, but they face a tough choice - stay in locked down Dhaka with no work or support, or go back to their home villages, to be with family.

Ferries have been operating 24 hours a day, trying to clear the backlog and get people home. Authorities say they try to stop overcrowding, but people's desperation means they don't listen. The exodus from Dhaka was sparked by a surge in coronavirus infections. Case numbers have reached six thousand a day. In response Bangladesh's government is issuing a stay-at-home order with shops, transportation and offices to close, meaning many will lose their jobs with no way to pay for food or rent. That leaves people with few options, other than to cram onto ferries, in an effort to find support in their hometowns.

Inside Story - Bangladesh's New Reality

Bangladeshi Blogger on Brutal Attacks by Islamist Militants

Secular Publisher Hacked to Death in Latest Bangladesh Attacks

THE GUARDIAN: Faisal Abedin Deepan killed on same day as attacks on publisher Ahmed Rahim Tutul and two writers

A publisher of secular books has been hacked to death in the Bangladeshi capital, police have said. In a separate attack in Dhaka, police said two other writers and a publisher were stabbed and shot at a publishing house.

Fears of Islamist violence have been growing in Bangladesh after at least four atheist bloggers were murdered in the country this year. The attacks have been linked by police to domestic Islamist extremists, while Islamic State has claimed responsibility for three other attacks. » | Associated Press | Saturday, October 31, 2015

Atheist US Blogger Hacked to Death in Bangladesh

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Hardline Islamist groups have long demanded the public execution of atheist bloggers and sought new laws to combat writing critical of Islam

A prominent American blogger of Bangladeshi origin was hacked to death with machetes by unidentified assailants in Dhaka on Thursday, police said, with the atheist writer's family claiming he had received numerous threats from Islamists.

The body of Avijit Roy, founder of Mukto-Mona (Free-mind) blog site which champions liberal secular writing in the Muslim-majority nation, was found covered in blood after the attack which also left his wife critically wounded.

"He died as he was brought to the hospital. His wife was also seriously wounded. She has lost a finger," local police chief Sirajul Islam said.

The couple were on a bicycle rickshaw, returning from a bookfair, when two assailants stopped then and dragged them onto a sidewalk before striking them with machetes, local media reported citing witnesses. » | AFP | Friday, February 27, 2015

Bangladeshi Christians Told to Close Church, Convert to Islam

CHARISMA NEWS: A local government official in central Bangladesh has halted the construction of a church, forced Christians to worship at a mosque and threatened them with eviction from their village unless they renounce their faith.

The Tangail Evangelical Holiness Church in Bilbathuagani village, Tangail district, about 100 kilometers north of Dhaka, was created Sept. 8 by a group of about 25 Christians who had been meeting secretly for three years.

However, local council chairman Rafiqul Islam Faruk joined around 200 demonstrators Sept. 13 to protest against the start of the building of the church.

The following day, the Christians were summoned to his office. More than 1,000 Muslims waited outside, following an announcement at all local mosques to gather at the chairman’s office.

Ordered to Embrace Islam

Mokrom Ali, 32, told World Watch Monitor he was forced to accept Islam.

“The chairman and the imams of the mosques interrogated me for accepting Christianity. They asked me why I had become a Christian. It is a great sin to become a Christian from Islam,” Asli said. “If I did not accept Islam, they would beat me, burn my house, and evict me from the society.

“Their threats chilled me to the bone. That is why I pretended to accept Islam, but faith in Christ is the wellspring of my life. Now I am no longer a Muslim; I am a Christian.”

Mojnu Mia, 31, told World Watch Monitor he was also forced to accept Islam against his will.

“The chairman and the imams asked me what my religion is. I said I was a Christian. Then they threatened to beat me and evict me from the village unless I recanted my faith in Christianity,” Mia said.

“They had browbeaten me into accepting Islam. I accepted it only to get out from that predicament. But later, I embraced Christianity by swearing a confession in the court.

“The chairman came to know that I became a Christian again, by affidavit. He threatened that it would not be possible to practice Christianity in that area. If I stick to this religion, I must leave this place.

“The chairman is clipping the wings of our faith. I do not know how long we can grin and bear it. We want religious freedom. We want to practice our religion freely.”

Eight Christians agreed to return to Islam since Sept. 14, under the chairman’s orders. The chairman and his associates had already beaten some of those Christians three years ago for accepting Christianity. » | World Watch Monitor | Friday, October 04, 2013

Bangladesh Islamist Leader Sentenced to Death

AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Jamaat-e-Islami's Assistant Secretary-General ordered to be hanged after prosecution challenged his life sentence.

Bangladesh's top court has sentenced a senior Islamist opposition leader to death for mass murder during the country's 1971 liberation war against Pakistan.

Abdul Quader Molla, 65, the fourth-highest-ranked leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, is the first politician to be found guilty by the country's Supreme Court after it overturned an appeal to acquit him of all charges.

"The court enhanced his life sentence to the death penalty," prosecutor Mohammad Ali said on Tuesday. » | Source: Al Jazeera and agencies | Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Bangladesh's 'Blasphemy' Divide
Is freedom of speech at risk in the ongoing conflict between religious fundamentalists and secular voices in the media?

Bangladesh Jamaat Leader Sentenced to Death
War tribunal convicts Mohammad Kamaruzzaman on charges of genocide and torture of unarmed civilians during 1971 war.

22 Killed in Dhaka as Islamic Militants Clash with Police
At least 22 people were killed and at least 60 injured as police fought running battles with thousands of Islamic fundamentalists in the capital Dhaka today.

Read the article here | David Bergman in Dhaka and Dean Nelson in New Delhi | Monday, May 06, 2013

Bangladesh Protesters Demand Blasphemy Law
Hundreds of thousands of marchers call for law that would include death penalty for bloggers who insult Islam.

Three Arrested in Bangladesh for Defaming Islam
ZEE NEWS: Dhaka: Three atheist bloggers in Bangladesh were today arrested here on charges of defaming Islam, as the government set up the country's first cyber crime tribunal to prevent exploitation of religion on the Internet.

The crackdown as well as the announcement came two days after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina pledged stern action against people found guilty of defaming Islam using the Internet.

"We are amending both the Right to Information Act and the Penal Code toughening punitive measures for hurting the people's religious sentiments," Law Minister Barrister Shafique Ahmed told a press conference also joined by Home Minister Mahiuddin Khan Alamgir and two state ministers.

Ahmed said that the government constituted the tribunal appointing a judge in the capital while a process was underway to set up identical special courts at divisional cities including Chittagong.

He said a government committee comprising two Islamic scholars was constituted to identify websites which were either exploiting or defaming the religion. The committee had recommended the arrests of the three, who have been sent to seven days remand.

The trio, who were paraded in hand-cuffs at today's press conference, could face 10 years in jail if convicted under the country's cyber laws, which outlaw "defaming" a religion, deputy commissioner of Dhaka police Molla Nazrul Islam said. » | PTI | Tuesday, April 02, 2013

New Dark Age Alert! 'Arrest the Atheists Who Insulted Islam!' Tens of Thousands of Muslim Activists Hold Prayers on Streets of Bangladesh Capital to Call for New Blasphemy Laws against Bloggers

MAIL ONLINE: Tens of thousands of Islamic activists prayed on the streets of the Bangladeshi capital today during a rally calling for the introduction of blaspemy laws and the restoration of a caretaker government.

Members of the Islami Andolan Bangladesh are demanding the arrest of 'atheist bloggers who insulted Islam' and to pass laws punishing those who 'insulted Islam in the parliament'.

They have announced plans to 'lay siege' to the office of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on April 25 if their demands are not met.

They include the restoration of the phrase 'absolute trust and faith upon Almighty Allah' in basic principles of the constitution; passing laws to punish atheists; holding of national elections under an impartial government; ensuring good governance and justice, uprooting terrorism and corruption; and establishing Islamic rule for a prosperous and welfare state.

According to www.thedailystar.net, the party's Amir Mufti Syed Muhammad Rezaul Karimalso told the rally: 'The incumbent and previous governments have nurtured corruption, violence, nepotism and other different evil practices during last few decades. » | Daily Mail Reporter | Friday, March 29, 2013