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Bangladesh chief justice steps down amid demonstrations

August 10, 2024

Bangladesh Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan is leaving his position, with other Supreme Court justices also likely to resign. Student protesters are still making demands after they pressured PM Sheikh Hasina to flee.

https://p.dw.com/p/4jKNP
Protesters at the Supreme Court premises in Dhaka, Bangladesh on August 10, 2024
Student protests called for the ouster of judges who they believe are supporters of the old regime Image: Rajib Dhar/AP Photo/picture alliance

Bangladesh Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan stepped down on Saturday amid a wave of new student protests in the South Asian country.

What do we know so far? 

Asif Nazrul, an adviser to the interim government of Bangladesh, said in a Facebook video message that Obaidul resigned after he was cautioned by student protesters of "dire consequences" if he stayed put in his role. 

Nazrul cautioned demonstrators to not "damage any public property" in his video message.    

As the new interim government under Muhammad Yunus reshuffles the judiciary, five other judges are also expected to step down. In addition, Bangladesh's central bank reportedly offered to step down, but his resignation was rejected due to importance of his role.   

Student protesters gathered outside the Supreme Court in the capital Dhaka on Saturday, calling for Chief Justice Obaidul to relinquish his position. According to Bangladeshi media, Obaidul is seen as a supporter of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Does Bangladesh need a fresh start? Investigative journalist David Bergman speaks with DW

Bangladesh in transition after Hasina's ouster

Sheikh Hasina was ousted from her position last Monday after protesters encircled her Dhaka residence last week. Hasina fled to New Delhi to escape the unrest.  

Mass demonstrations were ignited in Bangladesh in June over a quota for government jobs in the country. The protests morphed into a grievance movement against Hasina, who had been in power for 15 consecutive years.   

Although Hasina has left Bangladesh, the new interim leader Muhammad Yunus faces massive challenges in facilitating job growth and combating inflation in the country.  

Yunus, an 84-year-old economist and Nobel Peace Prize winner, also has to unite a country which has faced massive violence in recent weeks. Sheikh Hasina's government crackdown on the protests this summer has killed hundreds of people, many of them students. 

Yunus on Saturday visited Rangpur in northern Bangladesh, where he consoled the mother of Abu Sayeed, a student killed in the government crackdown. 

"We have to stand the way Abu Sayeed stood," Yunus said after he met the slain student's family. "Abu Sayeed's mother is everyone's mother. We have to protect her, protect her sisters, protect her brothers. Everyone has to do it together."   

Students now a key part of Bangladesh's new administration

wd/rmt (Reuters, AFP)