EU, US slam mass arrest of BNP leaders, activists

Staff Reporter :
The mass arrest of the BNP top leaders and activists from different parts of the country including the capital has strongly been criticised by the European Union and the United States.

They have also encouraged all parties to refrain from violence ahead of the parliamentary election scheduled to be held in early January next year.

European Commission High Representative Josep Borrell Fontelles in a statement posted on his twitter handle on Sunday expressed concerns for the mass crackdown campaign on the opposition.

“Concerned by the arrest of over 8,000 opposition activists in Bangladesh. Justice must be served in all cases. We encourage all parties to refrain from violence,” he wrote.

He also called up all parties to find a peaceful solution imperative for a vibrant democracy and the protection of human rights and fundamental rights.

“Vital to find a peaceful way to participatory elections, conducive to democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms,” he mentioned.
Meanwhile, the US Embassy Dhaka on Monday on its twitter handle reposted Josep Borrell’s twit saying that it agreed with him.

While retwitting the statement, the Embassy only wrote, “We agree”, but shared it with 45 organisations, including Human Rights, Justice Department, Human Rights Watch, UN Geneva, Amnesty International, Human Rights Commissioner, UN Human Rights, Press Freedom, Reuters, AFP, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, State Department, and Global Free Media.