Bangladesh: HRW urges probe on alleged election abuses

By Md. Kamruzzaman

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) - An international rights watchdog has demanded an investigation over allegations of abuses in Bangladesh’s elections by an independent and impartial commission.

"The pre-election period was characterized by violence and intimidation against the opposition, attacks on opposition campaign events, and the misuse of laws to limit free speech," Human Rights Watch (HWR) Asia director Brad Adams said in a statement on Wednesday.

Sunday's election were marred by allegations of attacks on opposition party members, voter intimidation, vote rigging, and partisan behavior by election officials in the pre-election period and on election day in Bangladesh, said the rights body.

At least 19 people were killed in violence related to the voting on election day.

Ruling Awami League (AL) party won the Dec. 30 election, enabling incumbent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to a third consecutive term, with the ruling party-led alliance winning 288 of the 298 parliamentary seats contested.

The opposition alliance led by the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party rejected the results accusing voter intimidation, vote rigging, and partisan behavior by election officials, and demanded a fresh election under a nonpartisan government.

Both the ruling party and the country's top election body rejected the allegations describing it violent free and one of the most fair elections in Bangladesh.

The rights body also expressed concern over an alleged gang rape report related to the elections.

HRW said a case had been filed accusing nine people including local ruling party leader after a mother of four in Bangladesh’s southern Noakhali district was allegedly gang-raped because she cast her vote for the opposition.

The rights body said that instead of investigating irregularities, Bangladesh authorities arrested journalists for their reporting.

On January 1, 2019, plainclothes police officers arrested Hedayat Hossain Molla, country’s southern Khulna-based reporter of a local newspaper.

Citing local journalist Kafi Kamal, the HRW also said that journalists were allegedly forced to delete videos documenting voter intimidation by AL supporters on election day.