UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday (August 13) has welcomed efforts of Bangladesh’s interim government to restore calm and organise parliamentary elections in the country, urging the inclusion of women as well as minority communities in the process.
Saying he stands in full solidarity with the people of Bangladesh and calls for the full respect of their human rights, he urged new interim leader Muhammad Yunus to continue to make every effort in the coming weeks to be inclusive.
“The Secretary-General welcomes efforts to restore calm and organise parliamentary elections in Bangladesh, with the support of an interim government,” read the statement issued on Monday (August 12) by Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the secretary-general.
“He (Guterres) continues to underscore the need for a full, independent, impartial, and transparent investigation into all acts of violence,” it added.
The US, meanwhile, denied any involvement in the crisis in Bangladesh and said it will continue to monitor the situation the turmoil-ridden country. The White House stressed that President Joe Biden is “consistent in speaking loud and clear” on human rights issues.
Yunus was sworn in as head of Bangladesh’s interim government last week. Student-led protests across Bangladesh, which turned violent and claimed the lives of at least 450 people in more than a month, forced prime minister Sheikh Hasina to resign and leave the country.
But, more than 230 people have been killed in the aftermath of her ouster, as large-scale violence and anarchy continued with targeted attacks against religious minorities. This has taken the death toll to 560 since the anti-quota protests first started in mid-July.
Here are the updates:
Alarmed at reports of attacks against journalists: UN
In response to a question at the daily press briefing, Haq said the UN is in touch with the “current transitional body, and we hope that there will continue to be an open, inclusive process of government formation and that there can be a quick timetable for the restoration of democratic rule.” The interim government was formed after the fall of the Hasina-led government, and its head, Yunus, announced the portfolios of his 16-member council of advisors last week.
In the wake of attacks on journalists during the student protests, Haq added that the UN is against all attacks on journalists anywhere for any reason. “And we are alarmed at the reports of attacks that have taken place,” he said.
US monitoring Bangladesh situation
The US said it will continue to monitor the situation in Bangladesh and president Joe Biden has been consistent in speaking about human rights issues. “We are certainly going to continue monitoring the situation. I don’t have anything else to add beyond that. But, when it comes to any type of human rights issues, the president (Joe Biden) has been very consistent in speaking loud and clear in public and also privately and he’ll continue to do that,” Jean-Pierre said at her daily news conference on Monday (August 12).
The response came on questions regarding calls from Hindu-American groups and Indian-American lawmakers seeking US intervention in protecting the lives and properties of the minority Hindu community in Bangladesh.
Over the past few days, hundreds of Hindu-Americans in various US cities have been holding peaceful protest rallies against the alleged human rights violations of the minority Hindu community in Bangladesh. Marches were reported from Atlanta in Georgia, California, and New York.
‘Simply false’: US on ‘rumours’ of involvement in Bangladesh
The White House strongly refuted allegations that the US interfered in the internal affairs of Bangladesh, leading to Sheikh Hasina’s resignation and escape. “We have had no involvement at all. Any reports or rumours that the United States government was involved in these events is simply false. That is not true,” Jean-Pierre told reporters.
She was responding to media reports that quoted Hasina allegedly claiming that she could have stayed in power if she had surrendered the sovereignty of St Martin’s Island and allowed America to dominate the Bay of Bengal.
Hasina’s son Sajeeb Wazed, however, has denied that his mother ever gave such a statement. “The recent resignation statement attributed to my mother published in a newspaper is completely false and fabricated. I have just confirmed with her that she did not make any statement either before or since leaving Dhaka,” Wazed said in a post on X.
The White House said it is the right and privilege of people of Bangladesh to choose their destiny. “This (electing their leader) is a choice for and by the Bangladeshi people. We believe that the Bangladeshi people should determine the future of their government, and that’s where we stand. Any allegations, certainly, we will continue to say, and I have said here, is simply not true,” Jean-Pierre said.
(With PTI inputs)
Read More: Bangladesh: UN Chief Welcomes Efforts To Hold Polls, US Denies Involvement in Crisis |
