Fariha Karim

Israel has dropped about 200,000 tons of explosives on Gaza since Oct 7, equivalent to nearly 13 Hiroshima bombs.

For some Bangladeshis the fall of the Awami League is the end of fear. For others, however, it may well be the beginning of fear. It is difficult for people not conversant with Bangladesh to understand how for Bangladeshis (living both inside and outside the country) who wanted to express an opinion or view against the Awami League government, its fall has resulted in such an extraordinary release of fear. The AL was in power since 2008, and certainly since 2015, if not earlier, people understood that speaking out could have significant repercussions, and as time went on the level or repercussions increased. These there not just repercussions for oneself but one's family: Bangladeshis could not speak out in the UK, knowing that their family was vulnerable in Bangladesh. Kanak Sarwar, a popular YouTuber, highly critical of the government, lived in the US. As a result, the government arrested his sister on completely spurious charges and was arrested and jailed for over 6 months, without trial. So as a result there is huge relief from government critics or just Bangladeshis who wanted to speak their mind. However, that is just one side of the coin rights now. The other side is that with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and other parties in the ascendent, the Awami Leaguers, or people who are known supporters of the Awami League, are receiving threats and are scared to come out in the public. I heard today that a very senior lawyer, not particularly pro-Awami League, was chased down the corridor and had to quickly jump into his car. I also heard about another Awami League lawyer deciding not to come to court right now because he is scared of what will happen to him as he has received threats. There are also confirmed reports of attacks against Christian schools and Hindu temples - the minorities perceived by the opposition parties to be supporters of the Awami League. One could see this as teething pains of the new dispensation particularly where there is not yet even a functioning government. In addition one could argue that in light of the terrible killings that took place in recent weeks (effectively authorised by the Awami League) it would be naive not to realise that in the immediate days after such events, there will be a lot of anger directed at the former governing party, but that it will reduce quickly. Perhaps. However there is no reason to think that the opposition parties have suddenly learned any lessons from their own victimhood over the last 15 years and that they have become more tolerant of their political rivals. If Bangladesh is not careful, the country will be replacing one repressive government for another. It is not inevitable, but it is also difficult to know how one can stop this from happening.