>>143341 [excerpt] Bangladesh police given ‘shoot-on-sight’ orders amid national curfew
Citizens confined to homes with no internet access as student-led protests lead to deadly clashes with authorities
Sat 20 Jul 2024 09.34 EDT Last modified on Sat 20 Jul 2024 14.21 EDT
Police in Bangladesh have been granted “shoot-on-sight” orders and a nationwide curfew has been imposed as student-led protests continue to roil the country, leaving more than 100 people dead.
The curfew, imposed at midnight on Friday, was expected to last until Sunday morning as police tried to bring the swiftly deteriorating security situation under control, with military personnel patrolling the streets of the capital.
The curfew was lifted briefly on Saturday afternoon to allow people to run essential errands, but otherwise people have been ordered to remain at home and all gatherings and demonstrations have been banned. The government has also imposed a communications blackout, with all internet and social media access blocked since Thursday night.
