Protesters demand release of ex-PM from jail in Bangladesh
Hundreds of opposition supporters have taken to the streets in Bangladesh to demand the immediate release of former prime minister Khaleda Zia, who is serving a five-year prison sentence in a corruption case.
Supporters from Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) staged a demonstration in downtown Dhaka on Thursday and a brief clash occurred when authorities attempted to arrest a student leader.
Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, secretary general of the BNP, announced to demonstrate in Dhaka and in small towns across the country on Saturday.
Also on Thursday, a team of defense lawyers met Zia in jail and discussed legal issues involving her bail request.
Zainul Abedin, one of the lawyers, told reporters after meeting Zia that they were hopeful the former prime minister would be released on bail.
Abedin said the High Court where Zia has appealed her conviction will rule on Sunday whether she will be released. The court can grant bail while an appeal is pending.
In February, a court sentenced 72-year-old Zia to five years in jail after convicting the two-time former premier of embezzling money meant for an orphanage.
Khaleda, her son, and aides were convicted of stealing $253,000 in foreign donations received by an orphanage trust set up when she was last prime minister from 2001 to 2006.
Zia's party has been trying to build up an opposition movement since her jailing, but the effort has failed to gain momentum so far. The opposition accuses authorities of harassing its members ahead of national elections in December.
The renewed tension raises the specter of a long, destabilizing spell of unrest for Bangladesh and its economy. Khaleda is due to run in parliamentary polls set for December.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said on Thursday people should vote for her party in the elections to continue what she characterized as the country's development and reject corruption.
In the last election in 2014, Zia's party and its political allies boycotted the race, allowing Hasina to return to power with a landslide victory.
Hasina and Zia have nursed a long and bitter rivalry as they have dominated politics in the poverty-stricken Bangladesh for more than two decades.
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