Another 6 US Congressmen take tough stance on Bangladesh

Diplomatic Correspondent  :
In another significant development, six other US Congressmen in a letter to the Secretary of State Anthony Blinken have expressed their deep concern about the ongoing human rights situation and ensuring free and fair elections in Bangladesh.

The congressmen urged Blinken to continue his call for accountability for human rights violations committed by Bangladeshi law enforcement agencies and officials, the letter said shared by Congressman Bill Keating on his Twitter account on June 13. However, the letter dated June 8.

The six ruling Democrat members of the Congress are William R Keating, James P Mcgovern, Barbara Lee, Jim Costa, Dina Titus and Jamie Raskin.

“We urge the State Department and other US agencies to continue to call for accountability for serious violations committed by law enforcement agencies, including the recently sanctioned Rapid Action Battalion.

Clear and repeated statements and actions by US officials can help ensure that the Bangladeshi government complies with its human rights obligations.

This is especially important in preparation for the upcoming elections, as there have already been mass arrests and violence against opposition parties which could tarnish the results and deepen social conflict,” the letter read.

Earlier in May, six other Republican members of the Congress in a letter urged President Joe Biden for measures including stricter individual sanctions, banning its law enforcement and military personnel from participating in United Nations peacekeeping missions.

Apart from this, six members of the European Parliament on 12 June wrote a letter to the head of European Union’s foreign policy, Josep Borrell, to take measures to ensure free, fair and impartial elections in Bangladesh and also expressed concern about human rights violations in Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, in the US State Department press briefing on June 14, Spokesperson Mathew Miller’s attention was drawn to the letters sent by the Congressmen to the State Department, also to the White House.

In response, he said that that he was unfamiliar with the letter, but said, “We generally don’t comment on letters that we get from members of Congress. We respond to them back usually confidentially, but I’ll say, of course, any concerns that we have, we will continue to make known privately as well as publicly.”