Bangladesh: Chief Justice resigns, Yunus calls for unity

Supreme Court Chief Justice Yunus Calls for Unity Bangladesh, close to the former power pushed out by a popular uprising, has resigned under pressure from protesters, according to local media, at a time when the head of the interim government, Muhammad Yunus, launched an appeal for unity ;.

Obaidul Hassan said Saturday he had agreed to resign “in principle” after being given an ultimatum by protesters, some of whom gathered outside the country's top judicial authority, Jamuna TV reported.

Appointed to head the Supreme Court last year, he is considered a loyalist of ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled the country this week following mass protests.

He notably oversaw a widely criticized war crimes tribunal that ordered the execution of Hasina's opponents. His brother was her secretary for many years.

“No one should do anything that could oppose the Supreme Court to the mass uprising of students and people,” Asif Nazrul, a student protest leader who is part of Mr Yunus' newly formed government, told reporters.

Students protest to demand the resignation of Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan on August 10, 2024 in Dhaka, Bangladesh © AFP – Luis TATO

Bangladesh's interim leader appealed for religious unity Saturday as he hugged and comforted the weeping mother of a student shot dead by police, whose death was the culmination of mass protests that ended Sheikh Hasina's 15-year rule.

“Our responsibility is to build a new Bangladesh,” the Nobel Peace Prize-winning economist told reporters. “Let's not discriminate based on religion,” he insisted.

Several attacks on the country's Hindu minority since Sheikh Hasina fled have raised concerns in neighboring India and fears in Bangladesh.

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– “Protect the Constitution” –

Shops and homes belonging to Hindus – a community sometimes seen in the Muslim-majority country as having been close to the ousted leader – were attacked on Monday, witnesses said. The house of a famous Hindu musician, Rahul Ananda, was set on fire.

Muhammad Yunus (l), new head of the interim government, on August 9, 2024 in Dhaka, Bangladesh © AFP – MUNIR UZ ZAMAN

The new prime minister was speaking during a visit to the northern city of Rangpur, where he paid tribute to Abu Sayeed, the first student killed in the crackdown on protests. The 25-year-old was shot dead at point-blank range by police on July 16.

The new interim government vowed Friday to tackle the difficult challenge of returning the country to democracy after the student uprising and mass protests.

At least 432 people have been killed in the protests, including 122 on Monday, the deadliest day, according to an AFP tally based on police, government and medical sources.

A strike was called by police unions across the country on Tuesday, saying officers would not return to work until security was assured in Bangladesh. Police said Saturday that half of the police stations had reopened.

Soldiers in front of a police station in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on August 9, 2024 © AFP – LUIS TATO

Escapes took place this week in prisons located north of the capital Dhaka, causing the escape of several hundred detainees.

A day after returning from Europe and promising to “uphold, support and protect the constitution” when he took office, Mr. Yunus, 84, paid tribute to the heroes of Bangladesh's independence on Friday, his first act as head of the interim government.

The economist, who has taken the title of “chief adviser” in the interim government, made up of civilians except for a retired brigadier general, said he wanted to hold elections “within a few months.”

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