DHAKA: Begum Khaleda Zia, the Chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, was released from prison today after seven years.
The Bangladeshi government issued an executive order granting her release, with the condition that she remain at her home in the capital and not leave the country.
The 74-year-old politician’s release comes amid the global COVID-19 pandemic. Wearing her signature pink saree, a surgical mask, and white gloves, Khaleda Zia exited the hospital cabin in a wheelchair at around 4:15 PM. Despite repeated requests from hospital authorities, law enforcement, and party leaders to avoid forming crowds, hundreds of BNP leaders and activists gathered and chanted slogans in support of her.
Khaleda Zia was transported to her home, Firoza, in Gulshan in her brother’s car, accompanied by four other vehicles carrying her bodyguards and family members. Many BNP leaders and activists, also wearing masks and gloves, followed the convoy from Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) to Gulshan.
Law Minister Anisul Huq announced on Tuesday that Khaleda Zia would be released on humanitarian grounds for six months, under section 401 (1) of the Criminal Code of Procedure (CrPC).
Khaleda Zia was imprisoned on February 8, 2018, after being sentenced to five years in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case. Later that year, the High Court extended her sentence to 10 years. Her family and party members had long campaigned for her release, citing declining health due to inadequate treatment at BSMMU, where she had been admitted since April 1, 2019.
Upon her release, Khaleda Zia did not speak to reporters or acknowledge the crowd. She had been further sentenced to seven years in the Zia Charitable Trust corruption case on October 29, 2018. Her bail petitions were repeatedly denied by both the High Court and the Supreme Court.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, along with other senior leaders and Khaleda Zia’s family members, arrived at the hospital about an hour before her release. Despite Fakhrul’s calls for the crowd to disperse, the supporters remained gathered to show their support for their leader.
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