The protests in Bangladesh

After the protests – the Supreme Court sharply cuts the criticized quota system

Bangladesh's Supreme Court has decided to sharply reduce the criticized quota system that led to violent protests in the country, reports the AFP news agency.

According to the decision, only five percent of government jobs are to be reserved for children and grandchildren of veterans who fought for the country's independence from Pakistan in 1971.

30 percent of government jobs covered by the quota system were reserved for relatives of veterans. In total, the quota system applied to a narrow majority of government jobs.

The quota system has sparked frustration in Bangladesh - a country where younger generations are facing an acute job crisis and protests have escalated in the past week.

According to AFP's own calculations based on police and hospital reports, at least 133 people, including several police officers, have died in the unrest since Tuesday.

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The protesters welcome the announcement: "We will not cancel"

The demonstrators in Bangladesh welcome the Supreme Court's decision to sharply lower the controversial quota system, reports the AFP news agency.

- We welcome the Supreme Court's decision, a spokesperson for Students Against Discrimination, the main organizers of the protests, told AFP.

- But we will not stop our protests until the government issues an order that meets our demands.

After the police's violent reaction to the student demonstrations, the protest movement has spread to other social groups in the country, writes The Guardian. Escalating police violence has led to a wave of anger against the country's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the political system, writes The New York Times.