Bangladesh releases a jailed opposition figure
Some see a link to the coronavirus epidemic
LIKE MANY others, the government of Bangladesh has issued a ban on public gatherings to curb the spread of covid-19. Yet not even the threat of a pandemic could deter supporters of Khaleda Zia, a jailed opposition leader, from turning out en masse to witness her release on bail. The 74-year-old, who leads the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), was granted a six-month reprieve from prison on March 25th in order to seek medical treatment.
This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Ee begum!”
From the March 28th 2020 edition
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