Roundup: Violent incidents occur as Bangladeshi opposition leader sentenced to jail

DHAKA, Feb. 9 (NsNewsWire) — Violent incidents are flaring up in parts of Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka and elsewhere in the country on Thursday, as opposition leader, ex-prime minister Khaleda Zia was found guilty of a corruption charge and sentenced to five years in prison, reports Xinhua.
Vandalism, explosion of bombs and detention of dozens of opposition personnel have also been reported in Dhaka and elsewhere in the country since Thursday morning. Several vehicles were smashed or set on fire in the capital.
Amid tight security on Thursday afternoon, Judge Md Akhtaruzzaman of the Special Court-5 in Dhaka delivered the 632-page verdict against the 72-year-old politician, who is head of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
The verdict convicted her of transferring 21 million taka (252,203 U.S. dollars) to her personal wallet from the charity “Zia Orphanage Trust.”
Shortly after the verdict, Zia was taken to a jail in Dhaka.
In the politically significant case ahead of the next parliamentary elections slated for early 2019, the court also awarded 10 years of sentence to five others including Zia’s son Tarique Rahman in the case with a fine of 21 million taka each (250,000 U.S. dollars).
The judge sentenced Zia to five-year imprisonment and said the term was reduced due to “her health and social status.”
The verdict aroused anger among many of the BNP party men, some of whom in the court started crying.
Numerous incidents of violence and intimidation and clashes between supporters of BNP and law enforcers were reported across the country.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said the main motive of the verdict is to keep Zia away from the upcoming election.
Law Minister Anisul Huq told journalists that Zia could appeal to the Supreme Court against the verdict.
He said the apex court will decide whether she can contest the next national election slated for early next year.
Ahead of her graft case verdict, Zia on Wednesday once again pleaded not guilty in the charge.
She said political vendettas are to blame for the cases against her and her son.
Zia in her 35 years of political career went to the jail several times but never due to conviction.
Zia was made vice-chairperson of BNP in 1981 after the assassination of her husband and former president Ziaur Rahman. She became the chairperson of the party in 1984, a post she is holding still today.
Thousands of her supporters took to the streets of the capital ahead of the verdict on Thursday.
Police in Dhaka fired rubber bullets and tear gas to break up large crowds who joined a convoy of Zia heading to a court in the old part of the capital city on Thursday morning.
The motorcade of Zia moved almost at snail’s pace on the way to the court as her supporters gathered on a key road.
Paramilitary Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) soldiers were deployed in Dhaka and elsewhere in the country to thwart any untoward incident centering the verdict.
Bangladeshi police have imposed an indefinite ban on meetings, processions and rallies in the capital from Sunday evening, a step the opposition described as an attempt to mute dissenting voices.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League (AL) party, which rose to power with a landslide election victory in early 2009 and won its second term in 2014, now eyes for the third consecutive victory.
The AL is facing challenges from Zia’s BNP, which boycotted the 2014 elections.
Some 21 parties including Zia’s BNP boycotted the parliament elections in 2014 as Hasina did not heed their demand for a non-party caretaker government to hold the polls.
BNP has been demanding parliament polls under a non-party government.  Enditem