Staff Reporter :
The United States has urged Bangladesh’s interim government to protect human rights and hold accountable those responsible for violations in recent months.
“We want to see human rights protected, and those responsible for violations of the rights of the Bangladeshi people over the past few months must be held accountable,” US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said during a regular press briefing in Washington DC on Monday.
The issue of Bangladesh arose during a question-and-answer session focused on global concerns, with particular attention on the safety of religious minorities and recent incidents of mob violence and human rights abuses in the country.
A journalist raised concerns about security threats to Bangladesh’s Hindu community as they prepare for their largest festival, Durga Puja. India has also urged Bangladesh to ensure a peaceful celebration for the Hindu community. In response to whether the US has communicated with Bangladeshi authorities regarding the protection of minorities, Miller emphasized, “We want to see the rights of minorities protected in Bangladesh, as we do all around the world.”
Another question addressed the rising incidents of mob violence and the response of human rights groups like the French-based JMBF and Human Rights Watch.
The journalist inquired about the US government’s stance on accountability for these violations, including concerns over increasing legal cases filed against innocent individuals, such as Tarique Rahman from Gopalganj. Miller refrained from commenting on specific cases but mentioned that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had met with the Chief Adviser of Bangladesh two weeks ago at the UN General Assembly in New York.
The call for accountability comes in the wake of the fall of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government on August 5, following mass protests against corruption and misrule.
In an attempt to suppress the uprising, law enforcement agencies reportedly unleashed violence, leading to hundreds of deaths, which some quarters—including the interim government and international organizations—have described as a “massacre” or even “genocide.”
Both the interim government led by Professor Muhammad Yunus and the international community have condemned these killings as severe human rights violations perpetrated by the Hasina administration. The US government has now called on the interim government to ensure that all those responsible are brought to justice.
Since the ousting of the Awami League government, many former ministers, MPs, and officials have fled the country to avoid arrest. Many face charges related to the killings and other offenses committed during the July-August uprising.