Protests against the government in Bangladesh have flared up again. There are reports of many deaths. The internet is said to have been partially cut off again. The situation could get worse.
According to local media, around 70 people were killed in violent clashes between demonstrators and police in Bangladesh. This was reported by the English-language newspaper “Daily Star” and the local newspaper “Prothom Alo”. The people died in riots in the capital Dhaka and in other parts of the South Asian country. 13 police officers were among the dead. Numerous people were injured. The authorities did not initially provide an official number of casualties.
The Interior Ministry tightened the recently relaxed curfew. According to observers, access to the Internet has been partially cut off, affecting social networks and messenger services such as Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.
Why are people taking to the streets?
The demonstrators are now demanding the resignation of the autocratic Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The protests began in July. They were initially directed against the reintroduction of a controversial quota system in the public service, which has since been reversed. According to official figures, around 150 people were killed in July.
On Saturday, demonstrating students also called for civil disobedience. They rejected an offer of dialogue from the government. According to observers, many shops remained closed. Further actions were announced for Monday.
Under Hasina’s leadership, poor, predominantly Muslim Bangladesh experienced an economic boom. Recently, however, high inflation has caused problems for the people. In the country with more than 170 million inhabitants, unemployment is high.
Human rights organizations accuse Hasina of targeting her opponents and critics and of having thousands of them arrested. Freedom of expression and freedom of the press have also suffered under her government.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
