Acting Secretary General of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Maulana ATM Masum has issued the following statement on 2nd September, 2023 protesting and condemning the unjust arrests of 15 Jamaat leaders and activists from Narayanganj district including district Ameer Mominul Haq Sarkar and Roopganj North organizational Upazila Ameer Advocate Israfil.

“For last couple of days, police have been continuing arrest drives against the leaders and activists of Jamaat-e-Islami and Chhatrashibir. During the raids, their houses are being vandalized and ransacked. They are being harassed and arrested in connection with false and concocted cases. The opposition activists are not being released despite securing bail from the high court. Police is arresting them from the jail gate and showed them arrested in another fresh case. As a part of the same repressive drive, police have arrested 15 Jamaat leaders and activists from Narayanganj district including district Ameer Mominul Haq Sarkar and Roopganj North organizational Upazila Ameer Advocate Israfil on 1st September from an in-house meeting. Police also arrested Mymensingh district’s Iswarganj Upazila Jamaat Ameer Professor Tanhar Ali on 31st August as well. Arrests of political activists from an in-house meeting is unjustified, unexpected and unprecedented. I am condemning such activities of the government.

The incumbent government is not democratic and they do not want to give space to the opposition. They do not have the courage to accept criticism. Jamaat-e-Islami is a systematic and democratic political party. It is the constitutional right of a party to hold meeting and procession. No one has the authority to deprive a party from exercising such rights. But this government is exercising those bad practices. They want to prolong its tenure by oppressing the opposition leaders and activists in connections by dint of false cases. The entire nation has turned into a police state. But dissident voices can never be subdued by repression.

I am urging the concerned authorities to stop arrest drive, torture and repressions and to release all detained leaders and activists of Jamaat-e-Islami and Chhatrashibir including Narayanganj district Ameer Mominul Haq Sarkar immediately.