Bangladesh student protest leader calls for civil disobedience until PM resigns

The leader of the student protests that are shaking Bangladesh called on Saturday, August 3, for a vast movement of civil disobedience until the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, more than a month after the start of the protests, the death toll of which stands at more than 200 according to AFP, which relied on police and hospital data.

The coalition, which first led protests against civil service job quotas last month, earlier in the day rejected the prime minister’s offer to open talks and urged Bangladeshis to take part in civil disobedience starting Sunday. “This includes non-payment of taxes and utility bills, strikes by civil servants and the cessation of remittances abroad via banks.”Asif Mahmud, a member of the student organization, told AFP. Workers in garment factories, vital to the country’s economy, are also being asked to go on strike.

“Sheikh Hasina should not only resign, but also face trial for murder, looting and corruption”Nahid Islam, leader of the Students Against Discrimination coalition, told thousands of people in central Dhaka. The social crisis, largely peaceful at first, turned into a political crisis on July 16, when the crackdown left its first dead. The protesters then demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, 76, who has been in power since 2009 and was re-elected in January after an election without any real opposition.

The clashes are among the deadliest since Hasina came to power. Her government has deployed the military, cut off internet access and imposed a curfew to restore order. Rights groups accuse her of using state institutions to consolidate her grip on power and stamp out dissent, including through extrajudicial killings of opposition activists. Authorities have accused opposition parties of hijacking the protests to provoke unrest.