Stating that Bangladesh is number one in the world in terms of human rights violation, BNP senior leader Selima Rahman on Sunday urged the country’s people not to cooperate with the Awami League government.

Speaking at a human chain programme on the International Human Rights Day, she also said their party will remain on the streets until the fall of the current Awami League government.

 “The people of the country are now united against the present fascist government. Bangladesh is now number one in terms of human rights violations. We are on the streets and we’ll be there until the fall of this regime,” she said.

Selima, also a BNP Standing Committee member, alleged that the government has been carrying out a steamroller of torture by attacking the BNP leaders and activists and implicating them in different ‘false’ cases over the last 15 years.

"There is no other place in the world where there is such oppression (on opposition) is going on. Many of our brothers and sisters can’t sleep at their homes due to police raids. If they (police) do not find the fathers, they take their sons, and if they don’t find the sons they take their fathers, mothers, brother and sister,” she said

In such a situation, the BNP leader said they will continue their street agitation as they will not accept the lopsided election.

“You (people) say no to this regime from wherever you can. Don’t take part in anything of the government. Even, those who are shop workers, keep your shops shut, stop travelling abroad and cut short your wedding parties, she said.

Selima also urged people from all walks of life to take to the streets and put up a strong resistance against the government’s muscle men and helmet forces who are

She claimed that over 20,000 BNP leaders and activists were arrested just in the last one month following the BNP’s October 28 grand rally at Nayapaltan which was foiled amid the clashes between the BNP leaders and workers and police.

The BNP leader claimed that the government deliberately attacked the BNP’s grand rally to foil the programme and create a ground to suppress the opposition.

She also claimed that the government has shut many offices of BNP, including the party's Nayapaltan central office.

She alleged that the jailed BNP leaders and activists are being deprived of their justified rights as prisoners since the judiciary of the country has been run by the orders of one person. “Nowhere in the world are human rights being violated as widely as in Bangladesh.”

BNP leaders and activists along with the family members of the victims of enforced disappearance and political killings under the banner of the party’s south and north city units formed the human chain in front of the Jatiya Press Club in the capital, marking the International Human Rights Day and demanding the release of the party’s jailed leaders and workers.

The programme began formally with the recitation from the holy Quran around 10:55am.

Over a thousand BNP leaders and activists gathered in the area since morning to attend the programme amid the heavy presence of law enforcers.

As part of the party’s countrywide programme, BNP’s all district units also observed a similar programme in observance of Human Rights Day.

After enforcing countrywide blockades in 10 phases and hartal in three phases for the last one and a half months since October 29, BNP came up with a different programme like the human chain.

Some BNP central leaders, Zainal Abedin Farooq, Mostafizur Rahman Babul, Nazim Uddin Alam, Kaiser Kamal, Taiful Islam Islam Tipu, Afroza Abbas, Shirin Sultana, Mir Nawaz Ali, Sultana Ahmed, Rehana Akhtar Ranu and Syeda Asifa Ashrafi Papia joined the human chain programme coming out of their hideouts.

 Alongside the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, Ganatantra Mancha, 12-party alliance, Jatiyatabadi Samomona Jote, the Liberal Democratic Party, Gonoforum and People’s Party, Labour Party, two factions of Gono Odhikar Parishad and Gonotantrik Bam Oikya also formed human chain programmes in the city’s different areas, marking the Human Rights Day.

The International Human Rights Day was observed in the country on Sunday as elsewhere across the world.