BNP writes to UN secretary general over upcoming JS election

Terming the upcoming election as "one-sided," the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has sent a letter to United Nations General Secretary António Guterres.

In the letter dispatched today, the party said, "BNP leaders and activists are being arrested and persecuted, by committing acts of sabotage, including arson ahead of the upcoming national election."

The letter, signed by BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, was sent to the United Nations Headquarters in New York on Sunday. Simultaneously, the party sent copies of the letter to various foreign missions, including the United Nations in Dhaka.

During a virtual press conference this afternoon, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi read out the contents of the letter.

The BNP, in its communication, lamented that over the past two months, various forms of vandalism, including arson on buses and trains, have occurred under the patronage of the state. It stated, "The Awami League is utilising a portion of the law and order forces to orchestrate such incidents, leading to the arrest of opposition party leaders and activists, including those from the BNP."

The BNP accused the government of attempting to conduct fraudulent elections by suppressing the movement of opposition parties. It alleged, "A discernible pattern is evident in the ongoing arson incidents, with the Awami League and its subordinate state apparatus being the sole beneficiaries, while the BNP bears the brunt."

The party contended that the government is once again steering towards elections marred by violence and irregularities, akin to the disputed elections of 2014 and 2018.

In the letter, the BNP also highlighted statistics of arrests and killings of its leaders and activists since October 28. According to BNP records, 25,000 leaders and activists of their party have been arrested since that date, and 27 people have lost their lives.