TDS Desk:

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Standing Committee member Begum Selima Rahman said the government must have the ability to receive critiques.

She said that they [BNP] critiques the government to correct it, to success it. “They have to digest these. The right to freedom of speech must be granted. But when criticism is made, later the leaders and activists are insulted,” she continued.

Speaking as the chief guest at a discussion titled “The Role of the Upcoming National Parliamentary Elections in Establishing Democracy and Human Rights,” organized by the World Human Rights Organization at the National Press Club on Saturday, he made these remarks.

“You must remember that during the Awami League regime, criticism was not tolerated. There was no freedom of speech. Criticizing them would lead to imprisonment and oppression. Human rights did not exist during their rule,” she said, adding: “Whenever someone wrote on Facebook, the police came to their house and arrested them. Attacks, lawsuits, enforced disappearances, and killings were used as tools to suppress free expression.”

She claimed that 500 leaders and activists of her party dedicated their lives to restore democracy and the goal of July-August movement was the same.

She said AL has deprived people of their voting rights in the name of elections to secure permanent power. Women were gang-raped in the dead of night for voting for the ‘Sheaf of Paddy.’ Such incidents were their regular practices.

“We hope that through a fair election, Dr Muhammad Yunus will uphold his integrity. We respect him. His stature is highly esteemed worldwide. The students and the people trusted him and supported him during tough times. We believe he will deliver the right return for their trust,” she continued.