The European Parliament has urged the government to ensure security of Shia Muslims.
The parliament had a debate on freedom of expression in Bangladesh and passed a resolution on the matter Thursday.
The non-binding resolution was adopted by 586 votes to 31, with 25 abstentions.
The resolution “urges the Bangladesh Government furthermore to offer sufficient protection and guarantees to minorities such as Shia Muslims, Ahmadiyya, Hindus, Buddhists and Christians, but also Biharis.”
It also “urges the Bangladesh Government and religious organisations and their leaders to embark on a process of reconciliation.”
The call came after recurring cases of ethnic and religiously-motivated violence, including the October 24 bomb attack at Hossaini Dalan where preparations were going on for a Shia procession for the next day.
The EP also condemned the increasing attacks by Islamist extremists on secularist writers, bloggers, religious minorities and foreign aid workers in Bangladesh.
It has also expressed its concern at the growing restrictions on freedom of expression which have accompanied the rise of religious fundamentalism, intolerance and extremist violence in the country, said a European Parliament press release.
The parliament also voiced concerns about the escalating cases of violence against women, urging the government, religious bodies and their leaders to embark on a process of reconciliation and work towards bringing to justice the perpetrators.
The parliament called on the Bangladesh authorities to restore the full independence of media, to drop all charges against publishers and journalists who have published content critical of the government.
It also urged to allow the immediate re-opening of all media houses which were closed, and to urgently fulfil the country's commitments and apply the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity endorsed in 2013.
The resolution called on the Bangladesh authorities to act to bring an immediate end to all acts of violence, harassment, intimidation and censorship against journalists, bloggers and civil society.
It reminded the competent Bangladesh authorities of their national and international legal obligations, including their responsibility to ensure the security and safety of all citizens, irrespective of their political or religious views.
“[The resolution] calls on the Bangladesh authorities to ensure that independent investigations are carried out and explanations are given with respect to the disappearance of members of opposition parties over the last few years, particularly in the months leading up to and subsequent to the January 2014 elections.”
It welcomed the progress made in the criminal investigations into the deaths of Italian national Cesare Tavella and Japanese national Kunio Hoshi.
It urged the Government to take the necessary measures to prevent more killings by opening public debates that challenge extremist views of all kinds.
The resolution called on the Bangladesh authorities to ensure the independence and impartiality of the judiciary and to amend the Information and Communication Technology Act and the Cyber-Security Act 2015 in order to bring them in line with international free speech standards, dropping the criminalisation of “anti-state” publications.
“[The parliament] notes that the Foreign Donations [Voluntary Activities] Regulation Act of 2014 has led in some cases to legitimate civil society organisations being subject to arbitrary control by the government; calls on the Bangladesh authorities to review this legislation to prevent this.”
