A group of influential United States lawmakers has urged Bangladesh’s interim government to ensure that the upcoming national election in February is free, fair, and inclusive, warning that the exclusion of major political actors could undermine democratic legitimacy.
In a letter sent on Tuesday to Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus, US Representatives Gregory W Meeks, Bill Huizenga and Sydney Kamlager-Dove expressed concern that banning an entire political organization risk disenfranchising a significant segment of the electorate.
The lawmakers serve on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and its Subcommittee on South and Central Asia.
While acknowledging the interim administration’s role in navigating Bangladesh through a period of national crisis, the lawmakers stressed that democratic transitions must uphold fundamental human rights, including freedom of association and the principle of individual - rather than collective - criminal responsibility.
Their intervention follows the interim government’s decision to proscribe the former ruling Awami League and its student wing, Bangladesh Chhatra League, in the wake of the July Uprising.
The move has sparked debate both domestically and internationally over its potential impact on political pluralism and electoral credibility.
In the letter, the lawmakers underscored the importance of creating conditions that allow citizens to peacefully express their political will through the ballot box.
They also highlighted the need for reforms aimed at restoring public confidence in the neutrality and impartiality of state institutions ahead of the polls.
The US legislators cautioned that suspending the activities of political parties or reviving what they described as a “flawed” International Crimes Tribunal process could weaken these goals and erode trust in the electoral process.
“Freedom of association, as well as the principle of individual rather than collective criminal responsibility, are fundamental human rights,” the lawmakers wrote.
“We are concerned that the decision to fully suspend the activities of any political party, rather than focusing on individuals determined to have committed crimes or gross human rights violations through due process of law, is inconsistent with these principles.”