The release of two senior opposition figures in Bangladesh comes after months of detention during a government crackdown preceding the general election.
The widespread detentions of opposition members and supporters before the January poll raised concerns about the fairness of the election, which was won by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s party without significant competition.
Two individuals among those detained were Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, aged 76, who serves as the General Secretary of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), and former Commerce Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, aged 74.
Party spokesman Sayrul Kabir Khan confirmed to AFP the release of both men, stating that Alamgir had conveyed to supporters outside the prison that their party’s “struggle for democracy would continue.”
Alamgir was arrested in late October, following violent clashes between police officers and BNP protesters who were demanding Hasina’s resignation. Chowdhury was taken into custody several days later.
The duo are the top figures of the party in the country, with Chair Khaleda Zia, a two-time former premier, in ailing health and effectively under house arrest due to a 2018 graft conviction.
Her son, Tarique Rahman, leads the party in exile from London, where he has been residing since 2008.
The BNP, along with dozens of other parties, boycotted the January polls, which they condemned as a “sham” designed to solidify the rule of five-time premier Hasina.
The party stated that at least 25,000 of its members were arrested late last year during the government crackdown. However, a government minister claimed that only 11,000 arrests were made.
Human Rights Watch stated that authorities had conducted mass arrests “in a clear attempt to quash the opposition and eliminate competition ahead of the general elections.”
Following the January poll, characterised by low voter turnout, Hasina’s ruling Awami League and its allies virtually monopolise every seat in parliament.