Bangladeshi academicians, professionals abroad voice concern over attack on oppn rallies

Bangladeshi academicians and professionals abroad have voiced concern over ongoing repression of opposition voices in Bangladesh.

In a statement on Thursday, 41 Bangladeshi nationals living abroad condemned the assault on Mohammad Ashraful Alam alias Hero Alam, an independent candidate of Dhaka-17 constituency by-election as well as the killing of Krishak Dal activist Sajib Hossain during the BNP's rally in Lakshmipur.

"We strongly condemned the ruling party-led violence on peaceful rallies of opposition political parties demanding a free, fair, and inclusive election under a neutral government, resulting in the tragic death of one Sajib (30) in the southeastern district of Lakshmipur," read the statement.

The signatories called on the authorities to launch an independent and impartial investigation into the violent incident leading to the death of Sajib and bring perpetrators to justice. 

They also urged the authorities to refrain from actions that instigate and facilitate violence against peaceful protests.

Calls were made to respect and protect the right to freedom of expression, assembly and association of all political parties and groups in Bangladesh without fear of reprisals and violence.

Among the signatories are Dr Hasan Mahmud, Assistant Professor, Northwestern University in Qatar; Dr Abdul Aziz, Lecturer, Monash University Malaysia; Dr Jamal Uddin, Lecturer, Cornell University, USA; Shafquat Rabbee, Adjunct Faculty, University of Dallas, Texas, USA; Dr Mohammad Ahsanul Haque, Aarhus University, Denmark; Dr Imtiaz Khan, Associate Professor, Cardiff Metropolitan University, UK; Dr Mohammad Mahdi Hassan, Research Associate, Computer Science Department, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada; Dr Rakibul Islam, Senior Researcher, Monash University; and writer Dr Faham Abdus Salam.