The European Parliament (EP) has called upon Bangladesh’s two major political parties – Awami League and BNP – to “engage in a dialogue” to find a way forward that would give its people a chance to express their democratic choice in a “fully representative way.”
The EP also expressed concern over the current situation resulting from the January 5 elections and the reported incidents of “violence and vote rigging” in the ongoing multi-phased local elections.
A delegation of the EP, led by Jean Lambert, chairperson of the delegation for relations with South Asia, conveyed the message to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, according to a media release issued yesterday.
Lambert, however, observed that the country would overcome its current crisis and pursue its development as a democratic, secular and tolerant state.
This was the first high-level visit from the European Union (EU) since the January 5 elections.
The EP delegation called for a reinforcement of independence of the EC to which EU has contributed 10m Euros over the past few years and said there should be a full investigation into the disruption in polling.
It also called on the government to ensure space for the civil society and maintain freedom of expression, notably by amending the Information and Communication Technology Act, which, it is feared, could lead to the arbitrary criminalisation of citizens.
Concerned by reports of attacks on minorities, extrajudicial killings and forced disappearances, the EP delegation called on the government to fully investigate these reports and to effectively implement its “zero-tolerance” policy on police abuse.
European parliamentarians assessed progress made to improve factory safety and workers’ rights, notably with reform of the Labour Law and the commitment to hire 200 new safety inspectors.
Still, they could see that much remained to be done – European buyers and Bangladeshi owners should continue to fulfill their commitments under the EU-Bangladesh Global Sustainability Compact.