A group of six members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have issued a letter to Josep Borrell, the high representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, to ensure a free, fair, and impartial general election in Bangladesh.
In the letter, which was sent on Monday, the group expressed concerns over the human rights situation in Bangladesh and urged the high representative of the European Union to take action for restoring democracy in the country.
The MEPs are Ivan Štefanec (EPP, Slovak Republic), Michaela Šojdrová (EPP, Czech Republic), Andrey Kovatchev (EPP, Bulgaria), Karen Melchior (Renew, Denmark), Javier Nart (Renew, Spain) and Heidi Hautala (Greens/EFA, Finland).
They have also asked the official to take necessary measures while engaging in constant dialogue with Bangladesh authorities on the human rights agenda.
The six MEPs also called for ending what they say “violation of human rights, the release of Begum Khaleda Zia, and engagement of the government with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and other major political parties to find out a sustainable and democratic solution to the ongoing crises.”
The Embassy of the European Union in Dhaka sees the letter as solely the views of the six MEPs who signed it.
The EU has strong reasons to stand with the people of Bangladesh as a long-time partner in trade and development cooperation, the signatory MEPs believe.
“Thus, the EU needs not only to remain in constant dialogue with Bangladesh's authorities on human rights agenda but also to produce tangible outcomes,” the letter reads.
They mentioned potential measures such as restriction of entry into the EEA zone for those responsible for and complicit in human rights abuses, or regular reminding of the conditions for the GSP+ incentive to which Bangladesh is a bidder may be evaluated.
“In this regard, we would appreciate to know more about the results of the EU-Bangladesh Joint Commission and Subgroup on Good Governance and Human Rights and the plans to work on the Bangladeshi authorities on these (and possibly other),” the letter reads.
Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch issued a statement on Monday urging United Nations Under-Secretary-General Jean-Pierre Lacroix to publicly voice concerns over alleged abuses by government security forces during his upcoming visit to Bangladesh.
Lacroix should emphasize that if Bangladesh is to maintain its role as the top contributor of peacekeeping troops, it should appropriately apply the UN human rights screening policy, which requires governments, alongside the UN, to ensure their nationals serving with the UN have not violated human rights laws, said the statement published on the HRW website.
In Bangladesh, systematic human rights screening by the UN is applied only at higher ranks and otherwise left to the National Human Rights Commission, which has limited purview over security forces, it added.
The UN should require Bangladeshi officers to disclose previous deployments with RAB, then automatically bar anyone affiliated with RAB from UN peacekeeping. The UN Department of Peace Operations should ensure adequate resources for human rights screening of all Bangladeshi troops, not just high-level commanders, the statement further said.
The letter from the six MEPs and statement from HRW follow in the wake of six members of the US Congress in a letter urging President Joe Biden to take “appropriate measures” for banning Bangladesh law enforcement and military personnel from participating in UN peacekeeping missions.
Scott Perry, Barry Moore, Warren Davidson, Bob Good, Tim Burchett, and Keith Self in their joint letter dated May 25 made the call, urging Biden's intervention in ending human rights abuses and holding free and fair elections in Bangladesh.
The letter from the six US congressmen US State Department imposed sanctions on RAB and seven of its former and current officials on December 10, 2021, over human rights violations. But after that, the US administration noted the force's progress in respecting human rights.
US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu, during his visit to Dhaka on January 15, said RAB has made "tremendous progress" in performing its duties while respecting human rights.
"We recognise this. This is amazing work. It shows that RAB is able to carry out its counterterrorism efforts and important functions while respecting human rights," he had said.
The UN heaped praise on Bangladesh for its contribution to peacekeeping missions on International Peacekeepers Day, May 29.