Thousands of opposition activists languish in prison as Bangladesh gears up for national election

DHAKA (AP) — Fazlur Rahman died on a hospital floor with his hands and legs still cuffed, his son Mohammad said, his voice breaking while recalling his father’s final moments.

Rahman, 63, was one of thousands of opposition activists who were arrested in the months leading to Sunday’s parliamentary election amid a sweeping polarized political culture.

The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, led by former premier Khaleda Zia, said Rahman was one of 10 members who died in police custody. According to his family, he was arrested on Oct. 25 outside the tea stall he ran and taken to jail. He fell sick and was later transferred to a hospital where he died over a week ago, they said. Rahman’s arrest came three days before a massive opposition rally turned violent, leaving at least 11 dead and nearly a hundred injured.

His family believed he was targeted for being an outspoken BNP supporter for the last 35 years.

“My father was with the BNP, which is why they took him,” Mohammad said, “if he dies, BNP’s name will vanish from our neighborhood.”

The BNP has accused Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government of a major crackdown targeting its supporters and opposition politicians on what they say are trumped-up charges in the lead-up to the polls. They claimed that over 20,000 of their members have been jailed in recent months.

However, government officials argued the figure to be much lower and that arrests were made not because of political affiliations but rather specific criminal charges such as arson. Attorney General A.M. Amin Uddin told The Associated Press over the phone that between 2,000 to 3,000 people have been arrested. The country’s law minister told the BBC this week that 10,000 have been arrested.

The figures