[JURIST] A Bangladeshi court Sunday ordered the continued detention of Abdul Jalil, the secretary general of the Bangladesh political party Awami League [party website], on charges of corruption and misuse of power despite Jalil's lawyers' request that he be released on bail due to poor health. The investigation against Jalil is a part of the Bangladeshi interim government's "anti-corruption campaign" [JURIST news archive], which has involved the questioning and detention of at least 60 parliamentarians and former government ministers. Awami League leader Sheikh Hasina [Banglapedia profile] criticized the arrests, saying they were an "autocratic move" motivated by politics rather than a legitimate attempt to stamp out corruption.

Last week, the interim government arrested [JURIST report] four former government ministers, two mayors and an ex-president of the Federation of the Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry [official website]. In January, President Iajuddin Ahmed became leader of the emergency government [JURIST report] with the backing of the military, and declared a state of emergency [JURIST report], allowing detention without warrants or specific charges. BBC News has more.