Bangladesh’s leading dissident Shahidul Alam holds little hope for free and fair elections, warning of suppression and censorship
- The opposition says its candidates have been disqualified and supporters jailed in a pre-election crackdown, and political rallies have turned violent
- Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is seeking a third straight term, has been accused of intolerance to dissent and creeping authoritarianism
Fresh from jail for dissent, and celebrated by Time magazine for fearless journalism, Shahidul Alam is not hiding as his native Bangladesh approaches an election he fears could be rigged.
More than 100 million voters are registered for the December 30 poll in the South Asia nation – one of the world’s largest democratic exercises.
But Alam, an award-winning photojournalist and activist, says a climate of fear gripping Bangladesh could keep many away from the ballot box and encourage self-censorship by the country’s browbeaten free press.
“I hope for a free and fair election,” he said during an interview in Dhaka. “But I am pretty certain that is not how it is going to be, based on how things are shaping up.”
The opposition says its candidates have been disqualified and supporters jailed in a pre-election crackdown, and political rallies turned violent almost as soon as campaigning began.