Human Rights
CUSTODIAL TORTURE GOT TARIQUE CRIPPLED, MEDICAL BOARD CONFIRMS
The Daily Star— June 15, 2008
A medical board confirmed that BNP Senior Vice Chairman Tarique Rahman suffered severe spinal injuries—two fractured discs at D6 and D7—while in state custody during the military-backed caretaker government’s crackdown. His defence counsel told the court: ‘Tarique was youthful and a completely fit individual at the time of his arrest, but he is physically impaired today. His spinal vertebrae had been damaged due to tortures in detention.’ The medical report warned his life was in danger and he risked going ‘physically invalid’ for life without proper treatment. A total of 84 politically motivated cases were filed against him during the emergency period—83 of which would eventually be dismissed or end in acquittal.
Source →Politics
TARIQUE RAHMAN RELEASED ON BAIL AFTER 18 MONTHS IN DETENTION
The Daily Star— September 3, 2008
BNP Senior Vice Chairman Tarique Rahman was released from custody on health grounds after nearly 18 months of detention during the 2007–08 emergency rule. He was allegedly tortured in custody and had appeared in court on a stretcher. Shortly after his release, Rahman departed for London for medical treatment—beginning what would become 17 years of exile from Bangladesh.
Source →Politics
BNP BOYCOTTS NATIONAL ELECTION AS TARIQUE CALLS FOR RESISTANCE
Dhaka Tribune— January 4, 2014
In a video message posted on YouTube from London, BNP Senior Vice Chairman Tarique Rahman called for a boycott of the January 5 national election, declaring ‘the time has come for all of us to prevent and boycott the polls—not for personal interest but for the sake of the country’s existence.’ The 18-party opposition alliance formally boycotted the vote, and the ruling Awami League won 234 of 300 seats in a largely uncontested election.
Source →Legal
BANGLADESH OPPOSITION LEADER KHALEDA ZIA JAILED FOR FIVE YEARS
BBC News— February 8, 2018
Former Prime Minister and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia was sentenced to five years in prison in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case—a verdict her party condemned as politically motivated persecution. With Khaleda behind bars and her son Tarique Rahman in exile in London facing his own politically-driven cases, the BNP confronted an existential crisis as the founding family was systematically targeted by the ruling Awami League government.
Source →Politics
BANGLADESH ELECTION MAKES MOCKERY OF DEMOCRACY: BNP’S ALAMGIR
Al Jazeera— December 31, 2018
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir declared the December 30 general election was fraudulent, telling Al Jazeera that ‘ballot papers were stuffed on the night before the election.’ The ruling Awami League captured 288 of 298 seats—96 percent—in what the opposition called ‘a mockery of democracy.’ BNP, directed by Tarique Rahman from London, denounced the results as Bangladesh’s squandered opportunity to restore genuine democratic governance.
Source →Politics
BANGLADESH GOVERNMENT DOUBLES DOWN ON PRESSURE CAMPAIGN AGAINST OPPOSITION
The Diplomat— October 2023
As Bangladesh approaches national elections, the government has intensified its crackdown on the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. Thousands of BNP leaders and activists have been arrested in a systematic campaign that rights groups describe as an effort to decimate the opposition ahead of polls. Tarique Rahman, directing party strategy from London, faces mounting legal pressures even in absentia.
Source →Human Rights
VIOLENCE ERUPTS AMID DEMANDS FOR FAIR ELECTION IN BANGLADESH
Human Rights Watch— November 1, 2023
At least 11 people were killed and hundreds injured when a massive BNP rally in Dhaka on October 28 was met with disproportionate force by police using stun grenades, tear gas, and rubber bullets. Over 1,500 opposition members were arrested in the days surrounding the rally. Human Rights Watch called for investigations and urged the government to respect the right to peaceful assembly.
Source →Interview
TARIQUE RAHMAN ON WHY THE BNP IS BOYCOTTING THE BANGLADESH ELECTIONS
The Diplomat— December 2023
In an exclusive interview from London, BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman explained the party’s decision to boycott the January 2024 election: ‘The predetermined upcoming election is non-participatory not just for the political parties, but the voters as well.’ Rahman accused the Awami League of orchestrating a fraudulent election with predetermined results.
Source →Politics
BANGLADESH HOLDING ‘SHAM’ ELECTION: EXILED OPPOSITION LEADER TARIQUE RAHMAN
Al Jazeera— January 4, 2024
Bangladesh’s election will be a ‘sham’ designed to cement Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s rule, said exiled opposition leader Tarique Rahman, defending his party’s boycott of Sunday’s vote. Rahman is heir to one of the country’s two main political dynasties—the other led by Hasina—and has helmed the BNP since the 2018 jailing of his mother, two-time Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.
Source →Politics
TARIQUE RAHMAN: THE LEADER BEHIND THE JULY UPRISING
Bangladesh Pratidin— August 5, 2025
Though absent from Bangladeshi soil, Tarique Rahman played an undeniable role in orchestrating one of the most significant political movements in the country’s history. From London, he monitored developments, issued timely strategic instructions, and provided the leadership needed to unite a long-suppressed populace. On August 4, 2024, his call—‘Dear countrymen, respond to the students’ call. Take to the streets’—galvanised the nation, and within hours the autocratic regime of Sheikh Hasina collapsed.
Source →Politics
BANGLADESH FREES HASINA RIVAL KHALEDA ZIA FROM HOUSE ARREST
Al Jazeera— August 6, 2024
Bangladesh released BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia from house arrest following the ouster of Sheikh Hasina. President Mohammed Shahabuddin ordered her release and dissolved parliament after calls from the student-led movement. Zia, 78, who twice served as prime minister, had been convicted in corruption cases in 2018—charges she and her party consistently maintained were politically fabricated.
Source →Legal
SC ACQUITS TARIQUE RAHMAN IN MONEY LAUNDERING CASE
The Daily Star— March 6, 2025
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court acquitted BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman and his associate Giasuddin Al Mamun in the money laundering case, scrapping the High Court’s 2016 verdict that had sentenced them to seven years’ imprisonment. A four-member bench headed by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed delivered the judgement, removing yet another politically-driven conviction that had been used to keep the opposition leader exiled from Bangladesh.
Source →Legal
SUPREME COURT ACQUITS KHALEDA ZIA AND TARIQUE RAHMAN IN ZIA ORPHANAGE TRUST CASE
The Daily Star— January 15, 2025
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court unanimously acquitted BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, her son Tarique Rahman, and four others in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case, setting aside judgements of both the High Court and trial court. The five-member bench headed by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed cleared all appellants, removing a key legal barrier to participation in national elections.
Source →Legal
21 AUGUST GRENADE ATTACK: TARIQUE, BABAR AND ALL OTHERS ACQUITTED
The Daily Star— September 4, 2025
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court upheld the High Court’s verdict acquitting all accused—including BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman and former State Minister Lutfozzaman Babar—in the 2004 August 21 grenade attack case. The ruling overturned the 2018 trial court verdict that had sentenced Tarique to life imprisonment, removing the most significant legal obstacle to his return from exile.
Source →Politics
BANGLADESH PM HOPEFUL TARIQUE RAHMAN RETURNS AFTER 17 YEARS IN EXILE
Al Jazeera— December 25, 2025
Tarique Rahman, acting chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, returned to Dhaka ending 17 years of self-imposed exile in London. Hundreds of thousands of supporters lined the route from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, waving party flags and carrying placards. Widely viewed as the prime ministerial frontrunner, Rahman’s homecoming also carried personal urgency—his mother Khaleda Zia was seriously ill.
Source →International
BNP’S TARIQUE RAHMAN RETURNS TO BANGLADESH AFTER 17 YEARS IN EXILE
The Diplomat— December 25, 2025
The acting chairman of Bangladesh’s largest opposition party has returned to Dhaka after nearly two decades abroad. Rahman’s return was made possible after courts overturned multiple convictions following the ouster of Sheikh Hasina’s government in August 2024. The BNP aimed to mobilise up to five million supporters in the capital to welcome their leader ahead of parliamentary elections.
Source →International
‘SYMBOL OF HOPE’: EXILED BANGLADESH OPPOSITION LEADER AND PM HOPEFUL RAHMAN RETURNS
France 24— December 25, 2025
Tarique Rahman, described by supporters as ‘the symbol of hope for this country,’ arrived in Bangladesh ending 17 years of self-imposed exile. Upon landing, Rahman symbolically removed his shoes to step barefoot onto Bangladeshi soil and picked up a handful of earth. Addressing cheering crowds, he pledged: ‘We will build a Bangladesh that a mother dreams of’—promising to unite people of all faiths and ensure their safety.
Source →Profile
BANGLADESH’S PRODIGAL SON: TARIQUE RAHMAN’S BIG TEST
TIME— January 28, 2026
In his first interview since returning to Bangladesh after 17 years in exile, Tarique Rahman speaks to TIME from the garden of his family home. The ‘clear front runner’ for February’s election positions himself as ‘a bridge between a political aristocracy dating back to Bangladesh’s liberation struggle and the aspirations of its young revolutionaries.’ He pledges to dig 12,000 miles of canals, plant 50 million trees annually, and create 50 new green spaces in Dhaka.
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