Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, Bangladesh's longest-serving Speaker of Parliament, was detained by police on Monday and taken to the Detective Branch headquarters in Dhaka, marking the latest arrest in the interim government's crackdown on allies of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Chaudhury, 71, served as Speaker from 2013 until parliament was dissolved following the student-led uprising that toppled Hasina's government in August 2024. She had been a senior leader of the Awami League for four decades.
The Detective Branch has not disclosed specific charges, though authorities indicated she faces investigation for "activities during the previous regime." Her detention follows the arrests of at least 47 former Awami League MPs and ministers since the interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, took power.
Critics call it a political purge. Supporters call it accountability.
"Everyone who enabled Hasina's authoritarianism must answer for it," said Asif Nazrul, Law Advisor to the interim government. "This isn't revenge - it's justice for 15 years of suppression."
The Awami League governed Bangladesh from 2009 to 2024, transforming the country's economy with 6-7% annual growth but simultaneously crushing political opposition, muzzling press freedom, and conducting elections widely viewed as rigged. Hundreds of opposition activists were imprisoned under draconian laws.
Yet Chaudhury was not known as a particularly authoritarian figure. As Speaker, she maintained a relatively professional demeanor in parliament and was respected across party lines for procedural fairness - a rare trait in Bangladesh's polarized politics.
"Arresting her sends a message that no one from the old regime is safe," said Ali Riaz, a political scientist at Illinois State University who studies Bangladesh. "The question is whether this is justice or retribution."
The interim government faces a difficult balance. It must demonstrate that the Hasina era's abuses will not go unpunished, satisfying the students and activists who risked their lives in August's uprising. But it also needs to avoid looking like it's conducting a witch hunt that could delegitimize its own authority.
So far, arrests have targeted high-profile figures: former ministers, senior police officials, and party bosses. But lawyers note that specific charges remain vague in many cases. "The law requires you to disclose accusations when you detain someone," said Sara Hossain, a prominent human rights lawyer. "Saying 'activities during the previous regime' isn't a legal charge."
The Awami League, now operating in exile with Hasina sheltering in India, calls the arrests politically motivated. "They are settling scores, not seeking justice," party spokesperson Mahbubul Alam Hanif said from New Delhi.
For Bangladesh's 170 million people, the political transition remains uncertain. Elections are promised but not scheduled. The interim government has popular support but no electoral mandate. And the question of how to reckon with the past without destabilizing the future has no easy answer.
Chaudhury is currently being held for questioning. Her family has been allowed limited access, and lawyers are preparing legal challenges to her detention.
