Washington, Dec 24 (IANS) Raising alarm over a political party ban, powerful US lawmakers have told Bangladesh’s interim government that free and fair elections cannot be held if political participation is restricted ahead of the February polls.
In a letter to Dr Mohammed Yunus, Chief Adviser of the Interim Government of Bangladesh, Congressmen Gregory W. Meeks, Bill Huizenga, and Sydney Kamlager-Dove urged the authorities to work across the political spectrum to restore confidence in democratic institutions. The letter was co-signed by Representatives Julie Johnson and Thomas R. Suozzi.
“We welcome your willingness to step forward at a moment of national crisis in Bangladesh to lead an interim government ahead of elections in February of next year,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter to Yunus on Tuesday.
They said it was “vital that the interim government work with parties across the political spectrum to create the conditions for free and fair elections that allow the voice of the Bangladeshi people to be expressed peacefully through the ballot box, as well as reforms that restore confidence in the integrity and nonpartisanship of state institutions.”
Expressing deep concern that such conditions could not be achieved “if the government suspends activities of political parties or again restarts the flawed International Crimes Tribunal,” Congressmen warned Yunus that these actions risk undermining trust in the electoral process at a critical moment.
Noting that the US Department of State and other international observers had concluded that Bangladesh’s 2018 and 2024 general elections “were not free or fair,” the lawmakers in the two-page letter wrote that the credibility of the upcoming election would depend on whether the interim authorities demonstrated a clear break from practices that had drawn international criticism.
Citing a February fact-finding report by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, which estimated that security services killed 1,400 people during protests in July and August 2024, the Congressmen wrote: “Genuine accountability for these acts and others should model the values of Bangladesh’s democracy, rather than continue a cycle of retaliation,” the letter said.
A key concern of the lawmakers was the decision to suspend a political party’s activities. “Freedom of association, as well as the principle of individual rather than collective criminal responsibility, are fundamental human rights,” they wrote. The lawmakers said that fully suspending a party, rather than holding individuals accountable through the due process of law, was inconsistent with those principles.
They urged Yunus or an elected successor to revisit the decision, stressing that inclusive participation was essential to restoring public trust. “Ultimately, the Bangladeshi people deserve to be able to choose an elected government in a free and fair election in which all political parties can participate so that their voices are represented,” the lawmakers said.
The letter also underscored the broader bilateral context, describing Bangladesh as “a critical partner for the United States.” The lawmakers said they stood ready to work with the interim government to support both the bilateral relationship and Bangladesh’s democratic transition in the months ahead.
In a separate but related development, Representative Thomas R. Suozzi wrote to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio seeking briefings on the safety of religious minorities in Bangladesh. Citing “recent reports about the murder of Hindu minorities,” Suozzi raised concerns about the misuse of blasphemy laws and asked that appropriate officials be made available to brief him so he could address the concerns of his Bangladeshi-American constituents.
–IANS
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