US concerned over political violence

The US has expressed concern about reports of intimidation, political violence, police harassment, arrests of opposition party members and restrictions on the ability of the opposition parties to meet and hold peaceful rallies.

"We call on the government to respect and to protect the fundamental freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly," Ned Price, spokesman for the US state department, told a press briefing in Washington DC on Tuesday.

Price went on to call on all parties in Bangladesh to respect the rule of law and to refrain from violence, harassment and intimidation.

"We call on the government of Bangladesh to ensure that no party or candidate threatens, incites, or conducts violence against another party or candidate."

Genuine elections require the ability of all candidates to engage voters free from violence, harassment and intimidation, he said.

"We encourage the government authorities to investigate these reports of violence thoroughly, transparently, and impartially, and to hold the perpetrators to account," Price added.

Meanwhile, Gwyn Lewis, the United Nations resident coordinator in Bangladesh, issued a similar statement yesterday, emphasising the need for "free expression, media freedom and peaceful assembly".

"As Bangladesh is coming closer to its national election next year, we remind Bangladesh of its commitments, as a UN member state, to free expression, media freedom and peaceful assembly among others written in the Declaration."

The Declaration says that "all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights".

"Ours is a shared humanity rooted in universal values. A threat to the rights of one person is a threat to the whole of society," she said in the statement ahead of International Human Rights Day on December 10.

The UN in solidarity with all Bangladeshis recommits itself to upholding the core values of dignity, equality and liberty, including thought and conscience, she added.

Lewis's statement comes a day after 15 foreign missions in Bangladesh sent in an extraordinary joint statement ahead of International Human Rights Day, a day when the opposition political party BNP announced a rally in Dhaka.

The signatories to the joint statement are the missions of Australia, the UK, Canada, Denmark, the EU, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the US.

They highlighted the fundamental role democracy plays in protecting human rights and promoting development in Bangladesh and reaffirmed the importance of free, fair, inclusive and peaceful electoral processes in the spirit of the UN Declaration of Human Rights.

TRAVEL ALERTS COMING IN FAST

The US embassy in Dhaka yesterday issued an alert ahead of the political demonstrations on December 10, saying that the rallies intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and escalate into violence.

Two of Bangladesh's largest political parties have announced rallies in different areas of Dhaka for December 10, the statement said.

"You should avoid demonstrations and exercise caution in the vicinity of any large gatherings. Review personal security plans; remain aware of your surroundings, including local events; and monitor local news stations for updates," it added.

This comes following a similar alert from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office on December 6.

US EXPRESSES CONCERNS OVER DSA

The US also expressed concerns over the Digital Security Act.

"We are of course aware that you and some of your colleagues -- Pinaki Bhattacharya, Mofizur Rahman -- have been charged under the so-called DSA, the Digital Security Act," Price said in response to a question from Mushfiqul Fazal, the White House correspondent for Just News BD, a web portal.

On October 15, KM Abdullah Hil Maruf, the sub-inspector of the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit, filed a case under the DSA against Bhattacharya, Rahman and Fazal with Ramna Police Station on charges of "conspiracy and tarnishing the image of the state".

Following the case, police arrested Rahman and he is in jail now; Fazal and Bhattacharya live in the US and France respectively.

Freedom of expression should never be criminalised, Price said, adding that it should never be a source or a subject of duress or intimidation.

"We have made our concerns about the DSA very clear. We have done so in our Human Rights Report. We have had frank and candid conversations with our Bangladeshi partners as well," he added.