Top Bangladesh politicians, ex-ministers detained in government raids News
Top Bangladesh politicians, ex-ministers detained in government raids

[JURIST] Bangladeshi security forces picked up 13 ex-ministers and senior politicians from their homes in raids in Dhaka Sunday. The government cited recently-promulgated emergency powers as the basis for the detentions. Bangladesh [JURIST news archive] country has been in political turmoil since former prime ministers Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina began feuding over proposed electoral reforms. After the disagreements led to violent street protests [BBC report] that killed 34 people, President Iajuddin Ahmed [Wikipedia profile] declared a state of emergency [JURIST report] in the country January 11. In the immediate aftermath of the emergency declaration, Bangladeshi authorities detained over 2500 people [JURIST report] and raided the homes of several political leaders. National elections had been scheduled for January 22 but have been postponed indefinitely.

Under the state of emergency, all citizens are banned from political activity and the Bangladeshi security forces are permitted to arrest and hold citizens without a warrant. The latest detainees include former government officials and political party leaders close to both Zia and Hasina. AP has more.

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