Tens of thousands of supporters of Bangladesh's main opposition party took to the streets of the capital on December 16 defying fears of being arrested ahead of the country's national election early next year.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), whose top leadership is either jailed or in exile, has demanded that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina step down and make way for a neutral government to oversee the Jan. 7 poll, which the opposition party has boycotted.
Many leaders and activists of BNP who are in hiding since October 28, the day a police officer was killed and hundreds were injured during an anti-government protest, joined the Victory Day rally.
Some supporters and activists gathered in front of the padlocked headquarters entrance in Dhaka. Many of the senior party leaders are either in jail or absconding dozens of lawsuits filed by the police and the ruling party.
BNP said nearly 10,000 people have been arrested since the election was announced on November 15. Police say they have arrested only those responsible for violence.
Dozens of buses and vehicles have been set on fire over the past month, authorities said.
Rights groups have accused the government of targeting opposition leaders and supporters.
The government denies the accusations but it is under pressure from Western countries to hold free, fair and participatory elections.
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