At least 16 political activists have been killed since elections were announced in December, sparking fears of a return to a climate of violence many Bangladeshis had hoped was behind them.
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Dhaka, Bangladesh — When Kazi Shawon Alam learned that Azizur Rahman Musabbir, a fellow Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) activist, had been shot dead on January 7, it confirmed to him what many political organisers already felt ahead of Bangladesh’s February 12 parliamentary elections: campaigning had become dangerous.
Musabbir’s killing felt personal. Shawon had gone to jail with Musabbir four times under the government of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, which was widely accused of brutal crackdowns on the political opposition, including through mass arrests, killings and forced disappearances.
