Six leading Democratic members of the US Congress addressed a letter on June 8, 2023 to Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressing “concern about the ongoing deterioration of the human rights situation in Bangladesh under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, as elections approach in January 2024.” They sought accountability for serious violations, mostly committed by the notorious Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). Pointing to the continuing “mass arrests and violence against opposition parties,” they opined that such activities “could tarnish the results” of the election.
The Coalition for Human Rights & Democracy in Bangladesh (CHRD Bangladesh) greatly appreciates the efforts of the Democratic lawmakers to promote human rights, democracy and election integrity, the core foreign policy objectives of President Joe Biden, in Bangladesh. It is in concert with a similar letter written by their Republican colleagues to the president last month. (Please see: Statement On The US Lawmakers’ Letter To President Biden Urging Stricter Sanctions Against The Hasina Administration In Bangladesh | ChrdBangladesh.
Repression in Bangladesh has not ceased despite sanctions on the RAB in December 2021. To the contrary, the members of the Congress pointed out that the Hasina regime rewarded and promoted officials involved in such crimes as “enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings,” as if in defiance. On the other hand, reporters of such heinous crimes were severely penalized, and relatives of the victims remained under constant threat or coerced to give false statements exonerating the police. The Detective Branch of Police and the Directorate General of the Forces Intelligence (DGFI) were also involved in the crimes, the letter mentioned. The Congressmen and women also raised a few pertinent questions about the monitoring mechanism of the crimes committed. The CHRD Bangladesh also raised some of those issues in its follow up letter to Secretary Blinken on May 30, 2023. (Please see: Follow Up Letter To The US Secretary of State On The New US Visa Policy For Bangladesh | ChrdBangladesh).
*The Coalition for Human Rights & Democracy in Bangladesh (CHRD Bangladesh) is a nonprofit organization based and registered in the United States.
June 18, 2023
