#BNP leaders and activists may continue engaging in extortion, enforced disappearances, and even killings without restraint—but protesting against such actions, or even documenting them, will not be allowed in
#Bangladesh This is precisely the kind of political environment the BNP and its party-backed government seek to establish.
During the regime of the “Mafia Mother” Sheikh Hasina, people were abducted and disappeared. Now, similar incidents are occurring in Bangladesh, with dissidents being the primary targets. It has become clearer why the BNP repealed the enforced disappearance ordinance a few months ago.
Adding to these concerns, those who run the BNPNama website (
bnpnama.info), which archives and documents mainstream media reports related to the BNP, have been asked by the police not to update the site. Given the extensive record of alleged misconduct involving BNP leaders and activists, the site naturally contained a large volume of negative coverage and reports.
The situation escalated after Khaled Bin Miyaz was reportedly picked up by Detective Branch (DB) police on 31 May 2026 without formal charges. Khaled had been providing BNPNama with information sourced from published news reports. According to his account, when he asked DB officers why he was being detained, they allegedly responded: “Orders from above.” This raises an obvious question—who exactly ordered the crackdown on the website?
Following the departure of the “Mafia Mother” to India, some now ask whether Bangladesh’s current leadership is assuming the role of a new “Mafia Father.”
Khaled was allegedly subjected to such severe intimidation by DB police that he felt compelled to cease the website’s activities altogether and has reportedly decided to leave the country soon.
Supporters and loyalists of
@trahmanbnp often flood my social media, questioning why I have not returned to Bangladesh. But Khaled’s case raises a serious concern: documenting publicly available media reports about a political party is neither anti-democratic nor a crime. So why was this young man has been forced by the BNP-led government to shut down BNPNama? Why does he now feel compelled to leave the country? And under these circumstances, tell me—how can I return to this country?
Many fear that the BNP seeks to become an even more entrenched autocratic force than Hasina’s government. Hasina, at least, found refuge in India after her downfall. If the BNP were ever to face a similar crisis, where exactly would they turn?