The European Union has moved a resolution on Bangladesh urging all political parties to refrain from violence and engage in genuine dialogue to resolve the ongoing political crisis.
A debate on the resolution move is going to be held in the European Parliament on Thursday.
Charles Tannock and Paweł Robert Kowal of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group of the EU forwarded the resolution on Tuesday (January 14).
The EU resolution strongly condemns the acts of violence which occurred in the run-up to and during the national election.
It also called upon all political parties to agree on a mutually acceptable way forward to strengthen democratic accountability and to hold transparent, inclusive and credible elections.
The resolution called upon the Bangladesh authorities to end arbitrary arrests and to allow peaceful protest and full rights to freedom of expression, association, assembly and movement.
It urged the Bangladesh authorities to provide increased protection to ethnic and religious minorities at risk, placing a particular emphasis on the protection of Hindu communities.
It further called upon the Bangladesh authorities to urgently set up an effective mechanism to protect witnesses in cases before the ICT.
