Bangladesh: Awami League raises alarm over ‘false, manipulated’ cases linked to July 2024 protests

Dhaka, May 9 Bangladesh’s Awami League expressed grave concern over the credibility of cases linked to July 2024 protests, alleging that several of them were “false and manipulated".

According to the party, what was expected to be a process aimed at ensuring justice and accountability has, in several instances, allegedly been used as a “tool for personal revenge, financial gain, and framing political or personal rivals.”

Citing the ongoing investigations, the party said that Bangladesh's Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) has uncovered a series of shocking allegations. These include “presenting killings linked to extramarital affairs as ‘violence during the movement', turning land or family disputes into murder or disappearance cases, and even filing cases in which living individuals were falsely declared dead.”

The Awami League highlighted that in some instances, plaintiffs were reportedly unaware of the lawsuits filed in their names, while in others, the victim’s identity, address, and phone number did not match official records.

In several incidents, the party said, plaintiffs withdrew their cases after investigators moved closer to uncovering inconsistencies.

Citing information related to the investigations, the Awami League stated that a large number of the cases reviewed so far lacked credible evidence to support the allegations, prompting investigators to recommend the dismissal of charges against many accused.

“This has raised serious questions about how many of the cases linked to such a significant historical event were genuine and how many may have been politically or personally motivated,” it added.

Referring to data from the PBI headquarters, the party said as of April 22 this year, the agency had been assigned responsibility for investigating 195 cases connected to the July 2024 protests.

“Investigations found no evidence in 24 of those cases. Plaintiffs also withdrew another 20 cases, most of which were reportedly false. Additionally, seven cases were withdrawn because the same incident had been filed twice, and in one case, the plaintiff failed to appear in court. Altogether, the PBI has submitted investigation reports on 52 cases deemed unproven or otherwise invalid,” the Awami League noted.

Earlier on Wednesday at the District Commissioners’ Conference in Dhaka, Bangladesh's Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed reportedly requested a complete list of all cases filed after August 5, 2024.

Reports suggest that, addressing the concerns over false cases, the Home Minister said a committee led by district magistrates would review harassing and politically motivated cases filed under the former interim government led by Muhammad Yunus.

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