In the name of “right to protest”, BNP-Jamaat maintained notorious political culture: Joy

Over a period of two decades, BNP in collaboration with its extremist ally Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir maintained a notorious political culture marked by homicidal assaults on law enforcement and innocent bystanders, premeditated vandalism and firebombing on transportation, arson attacks against minorities and other communities, and the assassination of political opponents in the name of "right to protest", Prime Minister's ICT Adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy posted on his verified Facebook page.

"Like before, they are resorting to outlawed extremist outfits like JMB and Harkat-Ul-Jihad to work out their agenda," he posted with a link of a report published on ALBD.org on August 21, 2022.

The report covered attacks on the Awami League activists, violence on minorities, Jamaat-Shibir violence opposing the war crimes trials, violence centred on the 10th General Election etc.

Foreign embassies, local and international media are being lobbied for sympathy on human rights issues, blind to the reality that they themselves have destroyed everything that lies under the umbrella of human rights, Joy said.

"This particular nature of 'terror-politics' was most strikingly demonstrated by BNP-Jamaat in 2001 right after they won the general elections and continued throughout the next five years. During this period, BNP-Jamaat goons killed 26,000 workers and leaders of Awami League, including former Finance Minister Shah AMS Kibria and former MP Ahsanullah Master. As many as 18 attempts were made on Awami League President and current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's life during this time," the report noted.

"A total of 15 police personnel were killed in 2013 by Jamaat-Shibir backed by BNP during their violence to stop and oppose the war crimes trials, which is the domestic tribunal set up by Bangladesh to try war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity committed during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. In 419 major incidents of political violence throughout the year of 2013, spearheaded by Jamaat-Shibir, 492 people were killed while 2,200 others were injured in the incidents," it also said.