New Delhi: A number of US representatives have spoken out against the Bangladesh interim government’s “decision to fully suspend the activity of any one political party”, and urged for the participation of all parties in the South Asian nation’s elections next year. The Bangladesh government had banned the activities of Awami League, led by ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, in May this year.
Five US Representatives, in a joint letter to Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus Tuesday, stated: “It is vital that the interim government work with parties across the political spectrum to create the conditions for free and fair elections that allow the voice of the Bangladeshi people to be expressed peacefully through the ballot box, as well as reforms that restore confidence in the integrity and non-partisanship of state institutions.”
“We are concerned that this cannot happen if the government suspends activities of political parties or restarts the flawed International Crimes Tribunal.”
The letter was co-signed by Gregory Meeks, Ranking Member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Bill Huizenga, Chairman, Subcommittee on South and Central Asia, Sydney Kamlager-Dove, Ranking Member on the Subcommittee on South and Central Asia, and Congress members Julie Johnson and Thomas R. Suozzi.
It added that “freedom of association, as well as the principle of individual rather than collective criminal responsibility” are “fundamental human rights”, noting that at least 1,400 people were killed during the student demonstrations in Bangladesh last year and called for “genuine accountability for these acts”.
“We are concerned that the decision to fully suspend the activity of any one political party, rather than focus on persons determined to have committed crimes or gross violations of human rights through the due process of law, is inconsistent with those principles,” the letter said.
The Bangladesh interim government this year also amended the legislation behind the International Crimes Tribunal-Bangladesh to allow for the prosecution of political parties. Hasina was sentenced by the tribunal last month for crimes against humanity while trying to suppress the student demonstrations. The former PM fled from Dhaka to New Delhi on 5 August, 2024, after over 15 years at the helm in Bangladesh.
The letter comes in the wake of the latest round of protests in Bangladesh over the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, a political aspirant who was shot at by unknown assailants on 12 December. He died of his injuries in Singapore on 18 December.
During the protests, the offices of two of the country’s largest newspapers, Prothom Alo and The Daily Star, were set on fire. A Hindu man, Dipu Chandra Das, was also lynched.
Yunus reiterated the election schedule–12 February–in a call with Sergio Gor, Ambassador of the US to India and Special Envoy for South and Central Asia. The US embassy in Dhaka also issued a statement following Hadi’s death. Hasina had earlier blamed the US for her ouster, charges denied by Washington.
The latest round of protests in Dhaka took an anti-India turn after reports indicated the Hadi’s assailants had fled across the border. However, Bangladeshi authorities have since announced that they are unaware of the current location of the assailants.
India and Bangladesh summoned envoys in New Delhi and Dhaka Tuesday. Protests were held outside Bangladesh’s High Commission in New Delhi as well as its mission in Kolkata. Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma was summoned first, with Dhaka lodging “grave concerns” over the security of its missions across India.
Tuesday evening, Bangladesh’s High Commissioner Riaz Hamidullah was summoned by the Ministry of External Affairs, with New Delhi concerned about the security and safety of its missions across the border. Indian officials also urged for a proper investigation into the killing of Hadi, as it has led to anti-India fervour in Bangladesh.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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