Staff Reporter :
Families of exiled leaders of Bangladesh’s main opposition party, the BNP, have accused the government of harassment campaigns against them.
These allegations were made by family members of BNP leaders residing in the United Kingdom (UK), who claim that police and other law enforcement agencies in Bangladesh are targeting them.
The allegations surfaced during a siege program at the Bangladesh High Commission in the UK and through various Facebook posts.
The families reported facing various forms of threats. According to sources at the BNP central office, many BNP leaders and activists have been forced to leave Bangladesh due to what they describe as severe oppression by the current Awami League government. They now claim that their families back in Bangladesh are also being harassed and threatened.
On May 20, a number of human rights organizations, including the UK Zia Parishad, held a protest at the Bangladesh High Commission in the UK against what they termed the Awami League government’s excessive pro-India stance. During this protest, a memorandum was submitted to the President of Bangladesh through the High Commission, demanding a change in Bangladesh’s foreign policy. Since then, there have been reports of harassment of the families of BNP leaders and activists living in the UK.
BNP Senior Joint-Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi recently addressed these concerns at a press conference. He claimed that following protests against the Prime Minister’s visit to the UK, family members of BNP leaders in Bangladesh have been subjected to continuous threats and harassment.
Among those reportedly threatened are the families of Mongur Hassan, General Secretary of the United Kingdom Zia Parishad, and several other key figures, including Engineer Abdur Jabbar Miah, Ahsanul Ambia Shovon, Abu Saleh, Abdul Kader Zilani, Jaydul Husan, Tania Rahman Munni, MD Kabir Uddin, Syed Mamun Ahamed, Nandan Kumar Dey, Mohammad Fakhrul Islam, Mohammed Rana Miah, Erfanul Alam Nishan, Aftab Uddin Alvie, Md Rafiqul Islam Azad, Md Jahid Hasan, and Ridoy Gosh.
The family members of Mongur Hassan have specifically reported receiving threats and being pressured to disclose his whereabouts. They have been warned of consequences if they fail to provide this information.