EU ‘deeply saddened’ to see loss of life, violence in Dhaka
Staff Reporter :
The European Union, along with its member states in Dhaka, has expressed profound sadness over the loss of life and escalating violence witnessed on the streets of the Bangladesh capital during the BNP-police clash on Saturday centring BNP’s Oct 28 grand rally.
The international community is urging all parties involved to seek a peaceful and participatory path forward as the nation prepares for crucial elections.
European Union in a tweet on Sunday said, “The European Union and its member states in Dhaka are deeply saddened to see the loss of life and violence on the streets of Dhaka – vital that a peaceful way forward for participatory and peaceful elections is found.”
On different occasions, the international community including the US has been urging the political parties to maintain a peaceful and democratic process as Bangladesh approaches its upcoming parliamentary elections.
The United States on Saturday condemned the political violence in Dhaka and called for calm and restraint on all sides.
It further reminded the political parties that the US will review all violent incidents for possible visa restrictions.
On Saturday, a clash centered around the BNP’s grand rally in Nayapaltan area resulted in a violent confrontation with the law enforcers.
The sporadic clashes between BNP leaders and workers and the law enforcers led to at least two casualties, including one policeman, and hundreds others injured.
During the clash, at least 15 journalists were injured while covering news.
Amid this situation, BNP could not complete its grand rally and announced for a dawn-to-dusk hartal for Sunday. With the nearing of the election scheduled in early January, the political landscape has begun to boil with heated and charged rhetoric from the political parties.
On Saturday, the ruling Awami League was in the field in the heart of the capital in Baitul Mokarram area where thousands of AL leaders and workers were equipped with the bamboo and wooden sticks.
When the political escalation is deepening, the international bodies including the US pre-election observatory team said that the political parties should shun the charged rhetoric and sit for dialogue to resolve the standoff.
The international community’s concerns are echoed by various human rights organisations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
