United Nations secretary general's office has expressed its hope that "a climate could be created where free and fair elections could take place," in Bangladesh.

Reacting to a query about whether any action was taken from the UN chief to release BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia from jail, his spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric yesterday told journalists at a daily press briefing that, "We've expressed our concern and we would hope that the… like in any country, a… this is our principal position."

On February 8, Khaleda was convicted in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case by a special court in Dhaka. She was sentenced to five years' imprisonment in the case.

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Rohingya Repatriation: First list handed to Myanmar

Soon after her conviction, the BNP announced countrywide demonstrations on February 9 and 10. Later, it staged protests from Monday to Wednesday.

Rohingya repatriation

Asked whether is there any way that they will ever be repatriated back to Myanmar, the UN chief's spokesperson said, "any return needs to be voluntary and should not be forced."

"They should not go back to camps.  They need to go back to their homes, the homes that they were forced to leave.  So, there are all sorts of conditions that the High Commissioner for Refugees feel have not been met," he said according to the detailed text of the briefing which was published on the UN website.

With the process of Rohingya repatriation caught in a limbo, Bangladesh yesterday handed Myanmar a list of 8,032 refugees from 1,673 families who are likely to be the first batch to return to their homeland.

Nearly 700,000 Rohingyas have crossed over into Bangladesh since a military offensive began in response to an insurgent attack on August 25 last year. More than 300,000 others, who crossed over from Myanmar in the previous years, are also staying in Bangladesh.