The United States has urged all stakeholders in Bangladesh to “exercise restraint and avoid violence” ahead of the general election on January 7.
“We are deeply concerned by the reports of mass arrests of thousands of opposition members and reports of torture in prison. We urge all sides to exercise restraint and avoid violence. We urge the government of Bangladesh to work with all stakeholders to create conditions in which all may participate in the pre-election and election environment freely, without fear of violence or retribution,” US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said during a regular briefing in Washington on Wednesday.
“It is our belief that a healthy democracy benefits from a variety of voices speaking freely, engaged in dialogue and discussion in an exchange about the issues of the day,” he said in response to questions from reporters.
Replying to another question on a Financial Times report on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools against the US and the Bangladesh opposition parties, he said it was a worrying trend around the globe.
“So we have seen the concerning news of deep fakes in election-related disinformation in Bangladesh. It’s part of a worrying trend around the globe of using AI to manipulate and influence democratic processes,” Miller said.
Replying to a question on whether the US would impose new sanctions on Bangladesh before the election, he said: “It is our longstanding practice not to preview sanctions actions before we take them.”