2015 Bangladeshi political crisis

Last updated

2015 Bangladeshi political crisis
Date5 January 2015 –3 May 2015
Location
Bangladesh
Caused byUnmet demands by the BNP stemming from the controversial 2014 Bangladeshi general election. [1]
MethodsViolent protests, petrol and crude bombs.
Parties
Lead figures
Casualties
Death(s)Official account: 55 [2] [ needs update ] (as of 17 February 2015)
Dhaka Tribune account: 75 [3] [ needs update ] (as of 20 February 2015)
Unofficial account: >100 [2] [4] [ needs update ]
Arrested>10000 [5]

The 2015 Bangladeshi political crisis is an ongoing state of political turmoil between the two main political parties of Bangladesh, the Awami League (AL) led by prime minister Sheikh Hasina who is currently in power, and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in opposition, led by three time former prime minister Khaleda Zia. Following the controversial 2014 Bangladeshi general election, the BNP raised several demands for a second election under a neutral caretaker government. By 5 January 2015, the first anniversary of the election, their demands were not met and the BNP initiated countrywide protests and traffic blockades. [6] After many violent and fatal attacks on the public by alleged BNP protesters, the AL branded the BNP as terrorists and Khaleda Zia was forcefully confined to her office. [7] The BNP then called the international community for support, [5] but other nations were reluctant to intervene as the BNP's reputation was damaged by the violence and the international community reiterated that the disputes should be handled peacefully. [8] [ citation needed ]

Contents

Background

Events

On 5 January 2015, Khaleda Zia urged members of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party to halt road, rail and river transport immediately. [1] This marked the start of the countrywide blockade.

On 18 February 2015, a Dhaka court issued arrest warrants for 23 BNP leaders and activists, including Joint Secretary-General Amanullah Aman, and former president of the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, Sultan Salauddin Taku, for two arson cases. It was passed because the accused did not appear in the court during the hearing. [9]

On 20 February 2015, the Sylhet–Dhaka intercity train, bound for Sylhet at the time, was firebombed when it was driving through the Habiganj District. No casualties were reported as the driver sped away to safety. Reports of attempts to cause derailments has also been reported. [10]

On 25 February 2015, a special Judge Court in Bangladesh issued a warrant to arrest Khaleda Zia in two graft cases involving over US$650,000 after she had repeatedly failed to appear for the hearings. On 4 March 2015 the court upheld the arrest warrants issued against Zia, refusing request to withdraw the arrest warrant, filed by Zia's lawyer. [11]

Victims

A total of 75 victims has so far died as of 20 February 2015 in the country-wide blockade, of which 41 were victims of arson attacks. [3] [12] [ needs update ]

Aid

On 25 January 2015, the Bashundhara Group donated Tk 20,000 ($260 or €240, as of March 2015) to each of the families of the 46 burn victims at the DMCH, totalling to Tk 920,000 ($12,000 or €11,000). [15]

A charity concert named the "Concert for the Burned" was held on 14 March as a fundraiser for burn victims in the DMCH; of which a significant proportion were injured or killed in arson or petrol bomb attacks. The concert is planned to be held at the National Library's auditorium with an entry fee of Tk 250 ($3.2 or €3.0) per person that will be directly given to the DMCH. [16] [ needs update ]

Reaction

In a statement on 13 February 2015, the Spokesperson for the United Nations Secretary-General, Stéphane Dujarric, expressed concern over the Bangladeshi political crisis and called for a peaceful resolution. [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Politics of Bangladesh</span> Political system of Bangladesh

Politics of Bangladesh takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister of Bangladesh is the head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament. The Constitution of Bangladesh was written in 1972 and has undergone seventeen amendments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bangladesh Nationalist Party</span> Political party in Bangladesh

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party is a major political party in Bangladesh. Founded on 1 September 1978 by the late Bangladeshi president Ziaur Rahman, with a view of uniting people with a nationalist ideology, BNP later came out as one of the two most dominant parties in Bangladesh, along with its archrival Awami League. Initially being a big tent centrist party, it moved towards more right-wing politics later.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khaleda Zia</span> Bangladeshi prime minister from 1991 to 1996 and 2001 to 2006

Begum Khaleda Zia is a Bangladeshi politician who served as the prime minister of Bangladesh from March 1991 to March 1996, and again from June 2001 to October 2006. She was the first female prime minister of Bangladesh and second female prime minister in the Muslim world, after Benazir Bhutto. She is the widow of former president of Bangladesh Ziaur Rahman. She is the chairperson and leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) since 1984, which was founded by her late husband in 1978.

Abdur Rahman Biswas was a Bangladeshi politician. He was the President of Bangladesh from 1991 to 1996. Biswas represented Pakistan at the United Nations General Assembly prior to the independence of Bangladesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tarique Rahman</span> Bangladeshi politician

Tarique Rahman also known as Tarique Zia is a Bangladeshi politician and businessman who became acting chairman of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in February 2018. He is the eldest son of former president Ziaur Rahman and former two-time prime minister Khaleda Zia. He was born on 20 November 1965, Tarique was involved in politics from a young age and rose to prominence in the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) during his mother's tenure as prime minister in the early 2000s.

The 21 August 2004 Dhaka grenade attack took place at an anti-terrorism rally organised by Awami League on Bangabandhu Avenue on 21 August 2004. The attack left 24 dead and more than 500 injured. The attack was carried out at 5:22 pm after Sheikh Hasina, the leader of opposition had finished addressing a crowd of 20,000 people from the back of a truck. Hasina also sustained some injuries in the attack. The involvement of BNP-Jamaat led government is still debated to this date.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Chatra Dal</span> Political party in Bangladesh

Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Chatra Dal, also known as JCD, is the student wing of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Many of the top BNP leaders and policy-makers today were once closely associated with JCD and developed as student leaders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury</span> Bangladeshi politician

Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury was a Bangladeshi politician, war-criminal, minister and six-term member of Jatiya Sangsad and member of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Standing Committee, who served as the adviser of parliamentary affairs to Prime Minister Khaleda Zia in from 2001 to 2006. On 1 October 2013 he was convicted of 9 of 23 charges and sentenced to death by the International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh for crimes during the 1971 Bangladesh War of Independence. He was executed by hanging from the gallows in Old Dhaka Central Jail on 22 November 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lutfozzaman Babar</span> Bangladeshi politician

Lutfuzzaman Babar is a Bangladeshi politician who served as the Bangladeshi State Minister of Home Affairs in the Khaleda Zia Cabinet, as a member of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. He is currently in prison for the death penalties in two cases – in January 2014 on charges of 2004 arms smuggling in Chittagong and in October 2018 for killing through criminal conspiracy at the 2004 Dhaka grenade attack.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Bangladeshi general election</span>

General elections were held in Bangladesh on 5 January 2014, in accordance with the constitutional requirement that elections must take place within the 90-day period before the expiration of the term of the Jatiya Sangshad on 24 January 2014.

The 2012 Ramu violence refers to a series of attacks on Buddhist monasteries, shrines, and houses of Buddhist inhabitants in Ramu Upazila in Cox's Bazar District in Bangladesh by local mobs on the midnight past 29 September 2012. The mobs destroyed 12 Buddhist temples and monasteries and 50 houses in reaction to a tagging of an image depicting the desecration of a Quran on the timeline of a fake Facebook account under a Buddhist male name. The actual posting of the photo was not done by the Buddhist who was falsely slandered. The Buddhist was innocent of the accusation. The violence later spread to Ukhia Upazila in Cox's Bazar District and Patiya Upazila in Chittagong District where Buddhist monasteries and Hindu temples were targeted for attacks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh</span> Bangladeshi Islamic advocacy group

Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh is a far-right conservative-islamic advocacy group consisted mostly of hard-line religious teachers and students. The group is mainly based on qawmi madrasas in Bangladesh. In 2013, they submitted a 13-point charter to the Government of Bangladesh, which included the demand for the enactment of a blasphemy law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury</span> Bangladeshi politician

Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury is a standing committee member of Bangladesh Nationalist Party, and former Minister of Commerce. He hails from a political family in Chittagong and headed the city's BNP unit momentarily to organize the party.

Abul Harris Chowdhury was a Bangladeshi and politician who served as the Political Secretary of Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia. He was the Joint Secretary General of Bangladesh Nationalist Party. Chowdhury was sentenced to 65 years in total and a life term in prison in absentia for allegedly committing multiple crimes. His party alleges the charges were falsely given, along with those against Khaleda Zia's son Tarique Rahman, and many other senior party members.

The Zia Charitable Trust corruption case refers an ongoing corruption case in Bangladesh that relates to corruption over the misuse of funds in a charity named after former President Ziaur Rahman. Khaleda Zia, former Prime Minister of Bangladesh is one of the accused in the case.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bogra-7</span> Constituency of Bangladeshs Jatiya Sangsad

Bogra-7 is a constituency represented in the Jatiya Sangsad of Bangladesh since 2023 by independent politician Mostafa Alam Nannu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bogra-6</span> Constituency of Bangladeshs Jatiya Sangsad

Bogra-6 is a constituency represented in the Jatiya Sangsad of Bangladesh since 2023 is Ragebul Ahsan Ripu. As the Member of Parliament, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party refused to take the oath.

Sardar Shakhawat Hossain Bokul is a Bangladesh Nationalist Party politician and the former Member of Parliament of Narsingdi-4.

Jatiyatabadi Samajik Sangskritik Sangstha, also known as JASAS, is the cultural of wing of Bangladesh Nationalist Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khandaker Mahbub Hossain</span> Bangladeshi lawyer and politician (1938–2022)

Advocate Khandaker MahbubHossain was a Bangladeshi lawyer and politician. In 1973, he was the chief prosecutor of the court set up to try war criminals under 'Dalal' Act. Served as Bangladesh Supreme Court Bar Association President and Supreme Court Bar Council Vice Chairman. He was known as a criminal law expert in Bangladesh.

References

  1. 1 2 "Bangladesh opposition leader Zia calls for blockade". BBC World News. 5 January 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 "Two including a female teacher injured in Dhaka blast". bdnews24.com. 17 February 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 "Narsingdi arson victim dies". Dhaka Tribune. 20 February 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  4. ↑ "Sheikh Hasina rejects talks as Bangladesh unrest toll exceeds 100". The Economic Times. 11 February 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  5. 1 2 "BNP seeks UN intervention". bdnews24.com. 11 February 2015. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
  6. ↑ "BNP demands UN-led probe". The Daily Star . 2 March 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  7. ↑ Syed Zain Al-Mahmood (25 February 2015). "Bangladesh Court Orders Arrest of Opposition Leader". The Wall Street Journal . Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  8. ↑ "Cease violence immediately, John Kerry to opposition". bdnews24.com. 20 February 2015. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  9. ↑ Md Sanaul Islam Tipu (19 February 2015). "Arrest warrant issued against BNP leader Aman, 22 others". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  10. ↑ "Sylhet-Dhaka intercity train fire-bombed in Habiganj". bdnews24.com. 20 February 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  11. ↑ "Khaleda Zia's arrest warrant in graft cases upheld". The Hindu . 4 March 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  12. 1 2 3 4 "Death toll now at 73". Dhaka Tribune. 18 February 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  13. 1 2 3 "Death toll rises to 74 as another victim dies". Dhaka Tribune. 20 February 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  14. ↑ "Trucker, helper burnt in Magura". Dhaka Tribune. 18 February 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  15. ↑ "Bashundhara Group donates to burn victims". The Dhaka Post. 28 January 2015. Archived from the original on 27 March 2015. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
  16. ↑ Syeda Samira Sadeque (10 March 2015). "Concert to be held for DMCH burn patients". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
  17. ↑ "UN wants peaceful resolution to crisis". Dhaka Tribune. 13 February 2015. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.