Letter from senators and congressmen to Blinken to take action against Bangladeshi officials
22 senators and congressmen of the United States have sent a letter to the US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken expressing concern about the violence and human rights situation in Bangladesh around the quota reform movement.
In the letter, they said that recently Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government has used state security forces to suppress student protests. Violence and clashes have also resulted in loss of life.
In the letter, the US legislators wrote, referring to the last seven January elections in Bangladesh, the ruling party of Bangladesh held a flawed election last January, questioning the democratic process.
It is said that the opposition political parties of Bangladesh boycotted the election on January 7 of this year. Earlier on October 28, 2023, the government continued to make sweeping arrests following protests by opposition parties.
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According to the letter, Bangladesh has seen its worst violence in recent years in the context of student protests over government job quotas. Clashes broke out between police, protesters, opposition activists and pro-government supporters in Dhaka and other cities across the country. 170 people were killed and thousands were injured.
The Bangladesh government used the already banned Rapid Action Battalion to respond to the student protests. Riot police used tear gas, rubber bullets and sound grenades against the protesters. Besides, strict curfew and ‘shoot on sight’ orders have been ordered through the army, the letter mentions. The internet was also shut down to quell the protests.
Referring to these incidents, they wrote in the letter, “The United States must condemn all acts of violence, guarantee freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly.”
At the same time, the government officials who were involved in suppressing the protests in Bangladesh are also demanded to be held accountable in that letter.
In such an alarming situation in Bangladesh, the US State Department was urged to take action in this regard. The letter said, ‘The United States must be a partner with the international community. who will seriously consider the right of the Bangladeshi people to a representative democratic government’.
What else is said in the letter
Referring to the arrest of thousands of opposition leaders and activists, US senators and congressmen said that some of those arrested are free but many are still in prison.
The letter also noted that freedom of expression by media activists and anti-government critics online has been severely curtailed.
The letter also said that strict digital censorship continues in addition to harassment, surveillance or physical attacks in Bangladesh.
The letter sent to the US Secretary of State also mentioned the fact that the labor law system in Bangladesh cannot be failed to improve.
The ban on Bangladesh’s Rapid Action Battalion or RAB in 2021 due to human rights violations is also highlighted in this letter.
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The US senators who signed the letter are – Edward J. Markey, Chris Van Holan, Tammy Baldin, Jeffrey A. Markley, Christopher S. Murphy, Tim Kaine, Richard J. Durbin.
In addition, among the members of Congress, James P. signed this letter. Mac Govern, William R. Keating, Grace Menge, Seth Moulton, Laurie Trahan, Joe Wilson, James C. Molan, Dina Titus, Gerald E. Conley, Gabe Amo, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Nydia Velazquez, Daniel T. Kildee, and Barbara Lee.
Earlier, US senators and congressmen wrote to Nobel Peace Prize winner Professor Muhammad Yunus to stop the harassment.
BBC
