Bangladesh frees Hasina rival Khaleda Zia from house arrest
Al Jazeera
Head of Bangladesh Nationalist Party was an opponent of Prime Minister Hasina, who resigned and fled the country.
Bangladesh has released Begum Khaleda Zia, the chair of the main opposition party, from house arrest, the president’s office announced.
Zia, 78, who twice held the post of prime minister, was convicted in a corruption case in 2018 and sentenced to 17 years in prison.
The head of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) was moved to a hospital a year later as her health deteriorated. She has denied the charges against her.
Zia was an archrival of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, 76, who resigned and fled the country on Monday.
On Tuesday, President Mohammed Shahabuddin announced Zia’s release from house arrest and dissolved parliament after calls from the student-led national movement.
