US Congressman Bob Good has once again written a letter on Bangladesh, along with 13 of his colleagues, asking for measures against the government ahead of the country's general election.
This time he addressed the letter to Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US ambassador to the UN, “expressing concern over violence by the Bangladeshi government against peaceful demonstrators.”
“The people of Bangladesh deserve free and fair elections. I sent a letter to the US ambassador to the UN with 13 of my colleagues, expressing concern over violence by the Bangladeshi government against peaceful demonstrators,” he tweeted on Thursday.
He, however, did not post the letter.
But the letter is in circulation on social media with opposition BNP supporters sharing it on their Facebook profiles. However, Dhaka Tribune could not verify it independently.
In the earlier case, the letter dated May 25 has been making the rounds on social media for a few days, after it was mentioned by BNP leader Rumeen Farhana.
Good posted it on his website on June 2 and issued a press release in this regard.
He wrote it to US President Joe Biden, asking him for a ban on Bangladesh's peacekeeping missions ahead of the general election.
In the latest letter, which could not be verified, he demanded the “UN Department of Peace Operations temporarily prevent any member of RAB from deploying in UN peacekeeping operations until full and transparent investigations into their record on human rights abuses have concluded,” referring to US sanctions on RAB.
Through the US ambassador, he also sought UN action "to act immediately to suspend Bangladesh's membership on the United Nations Human Rights Council, pending an impartial and transparent investigation into the various acts of violence the government has alleged to have committed against journalists and political opponents.”
“The UN, in combination with impartial governments around the world, participates in supervising and conducting free and fair elections in Bangladesh,” he also demanded.
Those who signed the letter with Bob Good are Scott Perry, Anna Paulina-Luna, Josh Brecheen, Ralph Norman, Andrew Clyde, Eli Crane, Cory Mills, Paul A Gosar, Doug LaMalfa, Ronny L Jackson, Randy Weber, Brian Babin and Glenn Grothman.
Scott Perry was a signee in Good's previous letter as well. The other four were Barry Moore, Warren Davidson, Tim Burchett and Keith Self.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam reacted at that time by calling them the “enemy" of Bangladesh.
“We are proud of our armed forces, police and others who are contributing to global peace and security. They are also highly praised internationally. A total of 169 of them have laid down their lives. Those who want to malign this achievement are not friends of Bangladesh whether they are congressmen, senators, presidents, or prime ministers of any foreign country. They are our enemies. Those who have provoked them to write such letters, the time has come to identify them also… they are also our enemy.”
“You will see similar letters coming before the election,” the state minister said. “We are not bothered by such letters. But we are 100% committed to holding a free and fair election.”