Washington, Feb 10 (IANS) US lawmakers warned of human rights violations and violence against religious minorities, including Hindus, in Bangladesh, urging greater attention to incidents they said have received limited international coverage as the country heads into elections.
At a Congressional briefing, Rep. Suhas Subramanyam said the forum was intended to spotlight abuses that often go unreported. “Human rights is an issue everywhere,” he said. “But, sometimes it gets all the news. You see it on the news every day, and sometimes it doesn’t get any attention or any news.”
The congressional briefing, held at the US Capitol, was organized by HinduAction and the Coalition of Hindus of North America (COHNA).
Subramanyam, who represents Virginia’s 10th Congressional District and serves on the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, said the briefing focused on “human rights violations and violence against religious minorities like Hindus, in Bangladesh.”
“We see the faces and the names here of victims of it,” he said, adding that the situation comes amid a tense political moment. “The reality is there’s an election in three days, and one political group is not allowed to participate.”
He also pointed to allegations of voter suppression and violence affecting minority communities. “In other cases, we’re seeing instances of voter suppression of minority groups, and then we see actual violence,” Subramanyam said.
While acknowledging shortcomings at home, he said the United States should hold partners and allies to basic standards. “We want to certainly do a good job as Americans here in the US when it comes to human rights. We’re not perfect,” he said. “But we also want our friends and allies, and, all countries around the world to, you know, at least meet a certain standard.”
That standard, he said, is “to treat people equally regardless of their religion, their race, their background, their culture, their identity, their ethnicity.”
Subramanyam said open discussion was essential. “This is so important to be able to discuss these issues in the open and to bring attention to things that are not getting reported enough,” he said, thanking organizers for convening the briefing.
Rep. Tom Barrett also addressed the gathering, linking human rights advocacy to broader US foreign policy goals. “Appreciate the partnership of all of you as we look to really carry out the best that we can through America’s foreign policy to make sure that we’re enriching the livelihoods of others across the world,” Barrett said.
A former US Army officer, Barrett said his 22 years of service were shaped by counterterrorism operations. “That time that I spent was centered around America’s war on terror,” he said, noting efforts “to really deter Islamic terrorism, in particular from confronting Americans and others around the world.”
He said the issue remains unresolved despite the drawdown of major conflicts. “While the technical war on terror, Iraq and Afghanistan in particular, war fronts have really wound down, it doesn’t mean that the effects of terrorism have completely evaporated around the world,” Barrett said.
Addressing advocates in attendance, he urged continued engagement with policymakers. “I really encourage you to continue to raise that advocacy with your own members of Congress and others that you’re interacting with here in our nation’s capital,” he said.
–IANS
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