The so-called election that was held in Bangladesh on 7 January 2024 was a blatant farce, in which only the ruling party, its allies, and independents, mostly as dummies of the ruling party, participated. The opposition boycotted, or were compelled to boycott, marking a grave abuse of human rights and democracy by the autocratic regime. According to reports, the turnout was low because of opposition calls for boycott, although 40% was announced, but one hour before this announcement, the election commission announced that the turnout was 28%, and later the opposition said it was 5 to 10%. According to an Al Jazeera article, it was an election whose outcome was decided the moment its schedule was announced in early November when the main opposition boycotted the polls. In this election farce, voting was rigged right and left, pre-stamped ballots were stuffed, children voted in many cases, occupation of voting centers by ruling party supporters was common, etc.
From 28 October 2023, when the largest opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, the BNP, held a peaceful gathering of a million people. The government not only attacked and dispersed the gathering, but also started a pre-election crackdown in which within the last two months, 25,000 leaders and activists of the opposition were locked up, with at least 16 killed, and 5,500 wounded. Many were tortured, as also reported by Human Rights Watch, by severe beatings, electric shocks, waterboarding, shooting to maim, knee capping, and other gruesome torture techniques, while thousands of their members and supporters were relentlessly hounded to hiding. The UN, many governments, human rights organizations, the US Congress members, EU parliamentarians, world leaders and distinguished people and the general public of Bangladesh, condemned the abuses of law, curtailing press and civic freedom by draconian laws and crackdown on the opposition, and urged the Bangladesh authorities to change for the better.
The autocratic regime has been in power illegitimately since the 2008 election, and over the last 15 years. and before the present crackdown, according to the largest opposition party BNP, 1,500 of their members were killed, 600 suffered enforced disappearances, with most killed, about 100,000 thrown to prison, and false lawsuits lodged on 5 million of their members and supporters. Human rights organizations, including our organization, condemned these and appealed to all concerned to seek remedies. Amnesty International even issued a 10-point human rights charter a few days before the election.
The US excluded the Hasina regime from its two democracy summits, it sanctioned in 2021 the Bangladesh elite paramilitary force RAB for enforced disappearances, and recently declared visa sanctions to anyone undermining free and fair elections, etc., but the ruling regime utterly disregarded and defied all these and held this farce of 7 January 2024 election to forcibly acquire another 5-year term for its autocratic rule with vicious abuse of human rights and democracy.
CHRD Bangladesh always maintained that, in view of the authoritarianism and limitless oppression of the ruling regime, it was essential that the election be held under a neutral Caretaker government and a neutral election administration. The provision of a Caretaker government for election was abrogated from the constitution illegally in 2011 by this illegitimate regime. The two elections of 2014 and 2018 held by this regime were rigged by repression of the opposition and ballot-box stuffing, which have been condemned by many governments and human rights organizations.
CHRD Bangladesh calls for rejecting the present election and holding a fresh election under a neutral Caretaker government as soon as possible. It can be noted that, after the rigged election of 2014, the US ambassador Dan Mozena called for a fresh election within the next 6 months, but the regime ignored and defied this call.
CHRD Bangladesh appeals to all concerned to support the noble causes of human rights and democracy and stand beside the long-suffering people of Bangladesh to help liberate them from the clutches of an autocratic regime, ruling with a ruthless fist by massacres, indiscriminate killings, tortures, oppression and repression.
*The Coalition for Human Rights & Democracy in Bangladesh (CHRD Bangladesh) is a nonprofit organization based and registered in the United States.
January 16, 2024
