Bangladesh court denies opposition leader’s bail request ahead of a national election

DHAKA,Bangladesh (AP) — A court in Bangladesh’s capital has denied a bail request from a top opposition leader who was jailed after an October anti-government protest that turned violent.  A magistrate made the ruling during a Chief Metropolitan Court hearing where Bangladesh Nationalist Party Secretary-General,Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir appeared on Monday. The same court also denied a bail petition from another senior party leader, former Commerce Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party, led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, is boycotting the Jan. 7 election after its demands for a caretaker government to organize the voting were not met. Alamgir is the party’s key leader since the Zia is hospitalized and faces a prison sentence.