Allow Khaleda to take treatment abroad: European Parliament member urges PM Hasina

A European Parliament member has urged Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to grant the request from Khaleda Zia's family and allow her to travel abroad for urgent medical treatment.

In a letter to the prime minister on December 8, Ivan Štefanec said, "In light of Khaleda Zia's worsening health condition that is well documented, we appeal to you and your government to grant the request from her family and allow her to travel abroad for urgent medical treatment".

Bangladesh government needs to adopt a humanitarian approach concerning her necessary treatment, Ivan Štefanec said.

Ivan Stefanec said he understands that 76-year-old Khaleda Zia was incarcerated on corruption charges in February 2018. In April 2019, she was shifted from the Dhaka Central Jail, where she was the lone prisoner, to the BSMMU for treatment under jail conditions according to the recommendations of a medical board.

In March 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, she was released for six months from jail hospital on the condition that she would stay at her home. The executive order has been renewed until date with Begum Khaleda Zia complying with the condition satisfactorily.

Ivan Štefanec noted that a 2019 Amnesty International Report urged Bangladeshi authorities to allow Khaleda Zia access to the specialised health care she requires.

He referred to media report indicating that Khaleda's family has submitted an application to the Bangladesh Ministry of Home Affairs requesting an extension of her conditional release and permission for her to travel overseas to seek urgently required medical treatment.

In recent months, she has been under treatment in a Coronary Care Unit (CCU) at a Dhaka hospital and her state of health is deteriorating as reported by international news media.

"We urge that you (PM) honour Khaleda Zia's human and advanced health rights considering her critical situation at this perilous time and allow her to travel overseas to have access to the highest attainable standard of healthcare," Štefanec said.

He also appreciated the Bangladesh government allowing and providing for more than 900,000 Rohingya refugees. "It is indeed an enormous contribution to the world refugee crisis," he said.