Deadly clashes paralysis Bangladesh capital over anti-blasphemy law
May 6, AP – Clashes between police and protestors raged early Monday in the center of Dhaka leaving at least 15 dead, officials and police said.
In Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka, at least 15 people have been killed in clashes between police and thousands of Islamic activists. The protesters have demanded that the Muslim-majority nation enact an anti-blasphemy law.
Media reports say violence erupted after about 10,000 police and soldiers used tear gas and rubber bullets to evict about the throng of protesters from a central commercial district in Dhaka late Sunday.
The protesting Islamists are demanding that the government enact an anti-blasphemy law with provision for the death penalty. They have also vowed to shut down the main business hub until their demands are met.
The government has rejected the groups’ demands, saying that the country is governed by secular laws.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed has said the existing laws have sufficient safeguards to address the protesters’ concerns.
On Friday, he vowed that the government “will not allow any chaos in the name of Islam, a religion of peace.”
Associated press writer for human rights observers – contributed to this report.
Category: International
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