International Desk

Twenty-two US Senators and Congress members have written a letter to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the ongoing situation in Bangladesh.

In the letter, they urged the US to work with the international community to prevent further deterioration of democracy in Bangladesh and human rights situation.
The letter also made several "allegations against the current government".

In the letter dated August 2, they said, "Bangladesh has suffered one of the worst outbreaks in violence in years as the government cracked down on students protesting a quota system that allocates up to 30 percent of government jobs for relatives of veterans that fought in the country's war of independence in 1971. Police, protestors, opposition activists, and pro-government supporters clashed in the capital of Dhaka and cities across the country, with at least 170 people killed, thousands arrested, and thousands injured."
The Bangladeshi government responded to the student protests by sending out the previously sanctioned paramilitary Rapid Action Battalion, allowing riot police to use tear gas, rubber bullets, and sound grenades against demonstrators, enforcing a strict curfew with military force, issuing "shoot-on-sight" orders, and shutting down mobile and Internet services nationwide, the letter said.

"Given these alarming and continuing trends, we hope that you will lead the US Department of State in upholding the shared democratic principles that have long underpinned the US-Bangladeshi relationship. The United States must condemn all acts of violence, ensure critical civil liberties, such as the freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, are protected, and take action to hold complicit government officials accountable for the above abuses against the Bangladeshi people," they said.

The letter further said that the United States must work with the international community to support the right of the Bangladeshi people to a representative democratic government that upholds human rights and respects individual freedoms in order to prevent the further deterioration of democracy in Bangladesh.

Senators Edward J Markey, Chris Van Hollen, Richard J Durbin, Tim Kaine, Tammy Baldwin, Jeffrey A Merkley, and Christopher S Murphy co-signed the letter in the Senate, and Representatives William R Keating, James P McGovern, Seth Moulton, Lori Trahan, Joe Wilson, Dina Titus, Grace Meng, Gerald E Connolly, Gabe Amo, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Nydia M Velázquez, Daniel T Kildee, Barbara Lee, and James C Moylan co-signed the letter in the House of Representatives.