Already over 100 dead
Student protests in Bangladesh escalate
Clashes between protesting students and security forces have escalated further in Bangladesh. As reported by an AFP reporter, police in the capital Dhaka fired on demonstrators on Saturday, injuring at least one person.
The demonstration took place despite a curfew in force since midnight. The government also sent the army onto the streets.
According to an AFP count, at least 115 people have been killed in the protests so far. The number of victims has not been officially confirmed. The US embassy in Bangladesh spoke of hundreds to thousands of injured. Several hospitals reported that significantly more people had died from gunshot wounds since Thursday.
In view of the situation in the country, head of government Sheikh Hasina canceled her planned trips abroad to Spain and Brazil, according to a spokesperson.
According to police reports, students stormed a prison in Narsingdi in the center of the country on Friday, presumably freeing hundreds of prisoners. The demonstrators then set the prison on fire.
Government cuts communication channels
The government had already imposed an internet ban on Thursday, making communication in the country more difficult. The country's largest publishing houses can no longer update their news portals. The state broadcaster has been unable to go on air since demonstrators set fire to its headquarters in Dhaka on Thursday. The government had largely cut Internet, telephone and SMS connections.
Quota system criticized
Students in Bangladesh have been demonstrating almost daily for weeks against the government's quota system, which reserves more than half of the well-paid jobs in the civil service for certain population groups. The students are demanding a performance-based system instead of quotas for the allocation of attractive jobs. Unemployment and inflation are high in the country of more than 170 million inhabitants. On Thursday, the government signaled its willingness to reform the system and enter into talks.
According to critics, the quotas favor the supporters of the government of 76-year-old Hasina, who was confirmed for a fourth term in January in an election that was held with virtually no opposition. She is accused of abusing state institutions in order to consolidate her power. The government, in turn, accuses a section of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party of inciting violence during the protests. At midday on Friday, the police arrested Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, an important opposition politician.
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