24 prominent citizens condemn attack on BNP office, leader arrests
They said the police force's surveillance, searches of citizens' mobile phones and body searches to suppress opposition political parties and dissent were against democracy and human rights
Twenty-four eminent citizens across the country strongly condemned the attack on the BNP office, the disruption of the rally on December 10 and the arrest of BNP leaders, including Mirza Fakhrul.
In a statement on Sunday, they also said the reported police action in regards to these was against human rights.
The 24 citizens are former adviser to a caretaker government M Hafiz Uddin Khan, human rights activist Hameeda Hossain, founder of Gonoshasthaya Kendra Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury, former cabinet secretary Ali Imam Majumder, Sujon Secretary Badiul Alam Majumder, Professor Anu Muhammad, lawyer Salma Ali, photographer Shahidul Alam, human rights activist Shireen Haque, Sharmin Murshid, Bangladesh Supreme Court Lawyer Shahdeen Malik, Subrat Chowdhury, Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Dhaka University Professor Asif Nazrul, Jahangirnagar University professors Mirza Taslima Sultana and Nasreen Khandkar, Chittagong University Professor Maidul Islam, human rights activists Noor Khan, Rehnuma Ahmed, Hana Sams Ahmed, Naser Bakhtiar, researchers Bina D'Costa, Saydia Gulrukh and Rozina Begum.
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They said the police force's surveillance, searches of citizens' mobile phones and body searches to suppress opposition political parties and dissent were against democracy and human rights.
The statement said, "The right to assembly is our constitutional fundamental right. We urge the government to refrain from violating these rights. We demand to refrain from repression and torture of leaders and workers of opposition parties. We demand the immediate release of BNP leaders and workers who have been arrested without proper evidence."
According to the statement, the BNP has been organising meetings and gatherings across the country for several months.
Claiming that these meetings and gatherings were peaceful despite various obstacles and incitement by the government, the statement further said, "We strongly condemn the government's suppression… of the gathering organised by the BNP in Dhaka on December 10. In particular, we believe that one person was killed and many others were injured by the police during the preparatory meeting of BNP, arrest and prosecution of BNP leaders and workers including Mirza Fakhrul Alamgir and police attack on BNP office, which are gross violations of freedom of speech and right of assembly."
