Acting Secretary General of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Maulana ATM Masum has issued the following statement on 17th November 2023 protesting and condemning government’s repression and the ongoing arrest drives.

“Jamaat-e-Islami’s movement is going on demanding resignation of the government, restoration of caretaker government system, release of Jamaat Ameer Dr. Shafiqur Rahman, political detainees and other religious scholars, withdrawal of false cases and for bringing the price of the essential commodities within people’s capacity. The countrymen are united in support of this movement. In last 15 years, many people have become the victims of repression of the government just because of their dissident voices. Many of them have become the victims of enforced disappearances. Many leaders and activists are being kept imprisoned in connection with false and concocted cases. As a part of the government’s conspiracy of subduing the movement, 39 Jamaat leaders and activists have been arrested from various places of the country in last 24 hours.

The tyrannical government is not ready to tolerate the criticism. People are spontaneously taking part in the ongoing movement for restoring democracy and public rights. The government has become reckless because of their fear of losing power. The government has given green signal to corruptions and looting but do not allow the people to speak up about these irregularities. The government has initiated a reign of terror. The government already lost the mandate and they are arresting the leaders and activists of Jamaat-e-Islami and other political parties just to stay in office. They have turned the entire nation into a big prison. The countrymen are severely suffering as the victims of government’s tortures and oppression. No autocratic government could survive in the past and the present government will not be able to survive as well.

I am calling upon the government to stop torture and repression and to handover power to a caretaker government in order to hold a free, fair and credible election and to release all detained Jamaat leaders and activists immediately.