Staff Reporter :
Peter Fahrenholtz, the former German Ambassador to Bangladesh, has called for the immediate release of Nurul Haque Nur, President of the Gono Odhikar Parishad and former Vice-President of the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU).
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Fahrenholtz described Nur as a “courageous patriot of Bangladesh,” highlighting his personal acquaintance with Nur and expressing concern for his well-being. He emphasized that Nur should be released to receive necessary medical care.
Fahrenholtz further underscored the importance of the new generation of politicians who are moving beyond traditional bipartisan structures, stating that they represent the future of the country. He supported his call for Nur’s release by sharing a photograph of himself with Nur on his X account.
Nurul Haque Nur was arrested on July 18, facing allegations of vandalizing and setting fire to Setu Bhaban in Banani, Dhaka. After being placed in five-day remand, he was sent to jail on Friday.
Gono Odhikar Parishad has condemned the alleged physical abuse Nur suffered during his remand. They claim that Nur was subjected to torture and mistreatment while in custody. According to their statement, Nur was apprehended on the morning of July 20 and presented to the court after 39 hours, during which time he was reportedly tortured. When he appeared in court again on Friday, he was visibly injured and had to rely on the assistance of police officers to stand.
The organization has denounced the conditions of Nur’s detention and expressed concern over the broader pattern of arrests of opposition leaders and activists without clear allegations.
The law enforcers are attempting to take false statements from the leaders in the name of remand. Besides, the law enforcers are trading businesses through mass arrests conducted in different parts of the country.
Gono Odhikar also further alleged that the government has been spreading concocted information in the mass media after shutting down the internet connection to bypass the real picture.
Nur’s party has demanded stopping of mass arrests and opening the full internet services, withdrawing curfew and carrying out international investigation for the mass killing.
