Bangladesh protests Guardian editorial

Bangladesh has protested against an editorial by the UK newspaper The Guardian that criticised it for crackdown on the political opposition and election violence. In a letter to the editor on Thursday, Bangladeshi High Commissioner to the UK Nazmul Quaunine protested the editorial saying it was inaccurate in blaming the government for the 2014 election violence. In the editorial, 'Bangladesh’s vicious politics do a disservice to its people,' published on June 19, The Guardian said the country's 2014 elections “were scarred by widespread violence and have been followed by further attacks on the opposition.” “The violence was instigated by individuals associated with the opposition Bangladesh National (sic) party, including its leader, Khaleda Zia, and her son, Tarique Rahman,” Quaunine wrote. The Guardian claimed “few believe that politics have not played a part in the legal cases against Ms Zia and her son and heir apparent, Tarique Rahman.” The high commissioner said in response that the political affiliation of these people had nothing to do with the criminal accusations brought against them. “Bangladesh proudly upholds the rule of law no matter what political party the perpetrators belong to,” he said. The terrorist attack at Gulshan's Holey Artisan Cafe last year had “finally prompted the government” to confront the terrorism problem, after “shamefully failing to respond to the murders of liberal bloggers, scholars and minorities,” The Guardian editorial said. In response, the high commissioner said the government began battling Islamic extremism long before last summer’s tragic Holey Artisan Bakery attack, including by arresting the criminals who attacked bloggers and intellectuals. “Law enforcement authorities are providing protection to 499 citizens who have requested it and have never denied protection to those who request it. In addition, police are helping citizens to improve the security of their homes,” he wrote. “The government will continue to prosecute anyone who attacks citizens, regardless of faith, occupation or lifestyle. To underscore the point, the government is providing police protection to Sultana Kamal, a Bangladeshi lawyer in Dhaka, who was recently threatened by non-government Islamist groups,” he added.