Former Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury Arrested in Dhaka

Dhaka, April 7: Bangladeshi police arrested Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, a senior leader of the Awami League and former Parliament Speaker, on Tuesday. Local media reported the incident. Chaudhury has the distinction of being the country’s first female Speaker.

Deputy Commissioner NM Nasiruddin of Dhaka Metropolitan Police confirmed the arrest. He stated that the former Speaker was taken into custody from her residence in Dhaka’s Dhanmondi area on Tuesday morning.

According to the Dhaka Tribune, police officials revealed that cases were filed against her at the Banani and Uttara police stations in the capital related to events during protests in July. There is also a case against her in Rangpur.

Sources indicated that during the July 2024 protests, a murder case was filed against Chaudhury concerning the killing of gold worker Muslim Uddin in Rangpur. The murder case, registered on August 27, 2024, includes Chaudhury and 15 others, including former Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi. Munshi is currently in custody in connection with this case.

Chaudhury was elected as a Member of Parliament from the Rangpur-6 constituency on April 30, 2013, and subsequently became the first female Speaker of the country. She completed four consecutive terms, with her last as Speaker of the 12th National Parliament ending on January 30, 2024.

Reports indicate that Chaudhury resigned on September 2, 2024, just 27 days after the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government.

This recent incident reflects a pattern of action against Awami League leaders and activists, reminiscent of the 18-month tenure of the previous interim government led by Muhammad Yunus.

Last month, the Awami League expressed deep concern over the ongoing mass arrests and custodial deaths of political leaders and activists across the country, stating that these actions violate fundamental rights and undermine justice and the rule of law.

The party accused the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government of misusing state machinery to suppress dissent and seek political revenge, following the path of Yunus’s previous interim government.

The Awami League stated, “The mass arrest of political leaders and activists, along with custodial deaths, is ongoing. Repeated arrests, thoughtless remand orders, and reports of deaths in custody are spreading pain and anger throughout the country.”