US-UN condemn, worry over poll violence in BD

Staff Reporter :
The United States has strongly condemned the alarming surge of political violence plaguing the democratic elections including the Dhaka-17 by-election in Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, the UN in Bangladesh expressed concern over the attack on an independent MP candidate in Dhaka-17 by-poll.

The recent attacks targeting opposition party members and activists have raised serious concerns about the fairness and safety of the electoral process, the US government said.
During a press briefing at the State Department in Washington DC on Monday, Mathew Miller, a spokesperson for the US government, said, “This type of political violence has no place in democratic elections.”

He urged the government of Bangladesh to conduct thorough, transparent, and impartial investigations into reports of violence, ensuring that the perpetrators are held accountable. “We encourage the Government of Bangladesh to investigate any reports of violence thoroughly, transparently, and impartially, and to hold the perpetrators of violence to account,” he said.

Drawing attention to the incidents, one journalist asked that an opposition activist peacefully protested in front of a visiting Awami League party Member of Parliament (MP) Shamim Osman in New York. However, shortly afterward, the activist’s family back in Bangladesh became the victims of a brutal attack. The ruling party even streamed the attacks live on Facebook, exacerbating concerns about the safety of those who express dissenting views, even from abroad. Even he was asked about the attack on the independent candidate Hero Alam in the Dhaka-17 by-election.