BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Friday asserted that Bangladesh is now under a 'brutal' one-party rule like North Korea.

“Bangladesh is now a brutal one-party country...that kind of one-party rule is going on here. There’s now no difference between Bangladesh and (North) Korea,” he said.

Speaking at a virtual press briefing, the BNP leader also said expressing freedom of expression in Bangladesh means inviting the danger of disappearing or getting killed.

He said the body of a Jubo Dal leader was found a couple of days after law enforcers had picked him up. “This is now the scenario of Bangladesh.”

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The BNP leader said the government has continued arresting opposition leaders and workers and implicating them in different cases.

Rizvi said law enforcers are raiding the houses of BNP leaders and workers and misbehaving with their family members and harassing them.

He claimed that more than 206 BNP leaders and activists were arrested in the last 24 hours as of 6:30 pm on Friday.

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Besides, Rizvi said at least 1,555 opposition leaders and workers were accused in different political cases.

He also claimed that over 13,000 opposition leaders and followers were arrested centring BNP’s Oct 28 grand rally and subsequent hartal and blockade programmes.

The BNP leader also claimed that 12 leaders and workers of their party were killed and 5,987 others were injured by the law enforcers and the ruling party men since October 28.

He said the government and the ruling party leaders are spreading false propaganda in various ways to create confusion about the 'peaceful' programmes of the opposition parties.

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“The entire Bangladesh has become silent due to a chain of terror by the government. People across the country are watching everything and getting angry. But Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader cannot sense the pent-up anger of people,” Rizvi observed.

He said the ruling party has been trying to hang onto power by holding another lopsided election with the help of law enforcers and the Election Commission. “The country’s people will not let the ruling party fulfil this hope.”