US on Bangladesh: Healthier, wealthier but freedoms shrink
The US has lauded Bangladesh for its socio-economic development and sheltering nearly one million Rohingyas, but remains concerned about the country’s state of political freedoms and trajectory of democracy.
“As a secular, developing country that prides itself on tolerance and diversity with a female head of state, Bangladesh serves as an example for many Muslim-majority countries around the world,” said Alice G Wells, US acting assistant secretary at the Bureau of South and Central Asia.
She made the statement at a hearing before the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific on Tuesday. Independent experts also took part in the hearing on human rights in South Asia chaired by Congressman Brad Sherman.
Wells said with more than seven percent GDP growth over the last decade, Bangladesh has grown healthier and wealthier, and is on course to graduate from the Least Developing Country status by 2024.
“However, we remain concerned about political freedoms in Bangladesh and the direction of the country’s democratic trajectory,” she said.
The US, along with several of its likeminded partners, found that the December 2018 elections were neither free nor fair, Wells said.
“… and we have voiced our concern that police suppression and intimidation of civil society, free media, and political opposition took place ahead of those polls.”
Wells said civil society was threatened by a shrinking space for activism and prohibitive draft regulations.
“Journalists continue to self-censor for fear of the Digital Security Act, which was introduced in 2018 to prosecute cybercrimes but offers a legal instrument to effectively criminalise some forms of free speech,” she said.
It is crutial for the Bangladesh government to allow civil society organisations to operate; for individuals and groups to be able to express their views freely, including online; and for the political opposition to play its lawful role in a democracy.
The US diplomat said they are working with Bangladesh to improve its democratic governance, and maintained that fully respecting democratic rights, ensuring transparency and accountability will contribute directly to Bangladesh’s aspirations for development.
Wells said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s decision to shelter over 700,000 Rohingyas since August 2017 deserves recognition from international partners, including the United States.
She said Myanmar must create the conditions for the Rohingyas’ voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable repatriation and guarantee their rights as recommended by the Annan Commission.
In his testimony, Robert Destro, assistant secretary of state, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour, said the 2018 elections were marred by irregularities and that the political opposition still struggles to operate, and many leaders face what appear to be spurious legal charges.
Security force abuses and reports of arbitrary and unlawful killings in counter narcotics and counterterrorism raids, as well as enforced disappearances, continue. Bangladesh has made some progress on worker safety, but minimal advances on labour rights, he added.
Members of the LGBTI community fear attacks and abuses, and members of the religious minority groups and persons with disabilities continue to be marginalised, Destro said, urging Bangladesh to take the path of inclusive development.
CONCERNS OVER NRC, KASHMIR
The US has expressed concern about India’s National Register of Citizens (NRC), which puts 1.9 million people at risk of statelessness in Assam.
“The appeals process may disadvantage poor and illiterate populations who lack documentation. It is also unclear how the appeals process will be able to proceed in the allotted timeframe,” Destro said.
He also expressed concern over the situation in the Kashmir Valley, where daily life for the nearly eight million residents has been severely impacted since August 5 when the Modi-led government scrapped the autonomy of Kashmir.
“As a whole, South Asia has experienced backsliding on democracy and human rights in recent months and years, including increased restrictions on fundamental freedoms,” said Destro.
He said South Asia is critical to US President Donald Trump’s Indo-Pacific Strategy built on three pillars: security, economics, and governance, but restrictions on civil society, media, abuses by security forces -- all erode democracy, leading to instability and deter investment.
The Trump administration is committed to partnering with South Asian nations to counter these abuses, Destro added.
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