Violence in Bangladesh has left more than 400 people dead in the last month.
Dhaka:
Bangladesh’s Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan resigned today following massive student protests that surrounded the Supreme Court. Hassan agreed to step down “in principle” after receiving an ultimatum from protesters. He was appointed Chief Justice last year and is seen as a staunch supporter of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Hundreds of protesters, mostly students, surrounded the Bangladesh Supreme Court, demanding the immediate resignation of the Chief Justice. The situation quickly escalated, with reports saying the Chief Justice fled the court before announcing his resignation.
The protests in Bangladesh began after the chief justice convened a full court meeting without consulting the newly installed caretaker government. Student protesters alleged that the court’s judges were part of a conspiracy, sparking anger and demands for accountability.
As tensions rose, a scheduled full court session was abruptly called off. Undaunted, protesters continued to surround the Supreme Court and issued an ultimatum to the Chief Justice to resign within an hour.
The new protests come days after Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus was appointed to lead a caretaker government following a student-led uprising against government employment rules.
At least 450 people have been killed in more than a month of deadly protests that ended the authoritarian rule of 76-year-old Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Amir Khosur Mahmood Chowdhury, a senior Bangladesh Nationalist Party official, said Hasina faces charges of murder, enforced disappearance, money laundering and corruption and must be brought to justice.
Hasina, one of Asia’s longest-serving leaders, resigned and fled Bangladesh on August 5 following pressure from millions of protesters who had taken to the streets for weeks demanding her resignation.
Bangladesh appointed a caretaker government led by Nobel Prize-winning economist Muhammad Yunus on Thursday. The constitution requires elections to be held within 90 days, but Yunus, the military that backs the caretaker government, and the president have not commented on when elections might take place.
