The European Union has expressed concern over the crackdown on the leaders and activists of opposition political parties, including the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, across the country following clashes over BNP’s grand rally in Dhaka on May 28.

High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, expressed the concern on Sunday evening (Bangladesh time) in a post on social media platform X, formerly twitter.

Urging all the parties to refrain from violence, he also called for finding peaceful ways to hold participatory elections.

‘Concerned by the arrest of over 8,000 opposition activists in Bangladesh. Justice must be served in all cases,’ read the social media post.

‘We encourage all parties to refrain from violence,’ it also read.

‘Vital to find a peaceful way to participatory elections, conducive to democracy, human rights & fundamental freedoms,’ it added.

The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its political allies and Jamaat-e-Islami are now on simultaneous movement to press home their demand for resignation of the present Awami League government, dissolving the parliament and holding the next general election under a neutral government.

BNP organised a grand rally in Dhaka on October 28 but it was foiled halfway due to violence that killed two – a police constable and a BNP activist – and injured over 1,000 people.

Following the violence, law enforcement agencies began crackdown on the leaders and activists of the main opposition party across the country and arrested hundreds of leaders and activists, including the party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, standing committee members Mirza Abbas and Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury and vice chairmen Altaf Hossain Chowdhury and  Shahjahan Omar.

A total of 89 cases were filed against BNP leaders and activists in Dhaka in connection with violence in the eight days since October 28. Raids, arrests, and alleged harassment of party people and their family members also continued.

As the October 28 rally was foiled, the party called countrywide general strike for the following day that also marked violence at places in the country.

The opposition parties also enforced countrywide blockade between October 31 and November 2 and now enforcing a two-day blockade from November 5.

The blockade programmes are also marked by violence and torching transports at places in the country.Senior BNP leaders are now either in jail or on run to avoid arrest, according to the party leaders.