The government has extended the suspension of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s jail sentence, allowing her to stay out of prison for another six months.
The home ministry maintained the same conditions on her release – that she will not be able to travel abroad and will have to get medical treatment in Bangladesh, reports bdnews24.com.
The home ministry issued a notice on the matter and Sharif Mahmud Apu, a spokesperson for the ministry, confirmed the extension on Wednesday.
On Mar 16, Law Minister Anisul Huq said he had sent his recommendation on the petition by Khaleda’s family to the home ministry. He had added that the recommendation suggested keeping the conditions for the suspension the same.
This is the fifth time the government has extended the suspension of Khaleda’s sentence.
The latest suspension was to end on Mar 24 before the decision on Wednesday.
Khaleda was imprisoned after she was convicted in a case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission in 2018. In March 2020, she was released on probation under the conditions that the 76-year-old did not leave the country and received treatment at her home in Dhaka.
The BNP chairperson has faced numerous health issues since then. On Feb 1 this year, Khaleda returned to her Gulshan residence after an 81-day stay at Evercare Hospital. She has been suffering from diabetes, arthritis, liver disease and other health complications.
On Nov 13, she received treatment at the Critical Care Unit of the hospital for liver cirrhosis.
Khaleda’s family have applied multiple times to take her abroad for treatment.
The BNP has held several demonstrations to press for the demand as well, but the authorities rejected their pleas every time, citing the conditions of her release from jail.
