US Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu asked to know how freely political and civil rights are being exercised in Bangladesh after the 12th National Parliament elections.
In an exchange meeting with civil society representatives in Dhaka on Tuesday afternoon, Donald Lu asked to know about the human rights situation in Bangladesh as well as the economy, labor rights and climate change. It has been reported from several related sources that the Palestinian situation has also gained importance in the discussion.
US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu interacted with civil society representatives on the first day of his three-day visit to Dhaka. The exchange meeting was held at the residence of US Ambassador Peter Haas in Dhaka. At this time, Donald Lu wants to know the opinion of these citizen representatives of Bangladesh about the situation in the Middle East in the context of the Israeli attack on Gaza. At that time, they were very critical of the Palestinian situation, especially Israel’s brutality in Gaza and the role of the law enforcement forces in suppressing the protests of the United States, according to related sources.
Mahfuz Anam, editor of the English newspaper The Daily Star, Kalpana Akhtar, executive director of Bangladesh Center for Women Workers Solidarity, human rights activist Md. Noor Khan, Rani of Chakma Circle and human rights activist Yan Yan, environmental and climate change movement organizer Sohanur Rahman and youth organizer Mahmuda Akhtar (Manisha).
At the end of the meeting, Sohanur Rahman said, in response to the questions of the journalists waiting outside, various issues including the post-election political situation, human rights, labor rights, economic situation, dealing with the risk of climate change, and the Middle East situation were discussed.
According to multiple related sources, Donald Lu wants to know about the post-election political situation from civil society representatives. Especially how is the political environment, how is the civil society working etc. Donald Lue was then informed that the sphere of civil and political rights had narrowed overall.
At this stage, the US Assistant Secretary of State said, the US wanted a free and fair election. The election is over, the government is working as it should. Why such pressure in such a situation; They did not expect that. It is of concern.
The discussion also touched upon the Digital Security Act and the subsequent Cyber Security Act in the context of freedom of expression and freedom of the media. After hearing about this, Donald Lu expressed his concern.
When asked whether the issue of stopping the massacre of Palestinians in Gaza and the protests in the United States came up for discussion, a related source said that almost all representatives of the civil society condemned the situation in Palestine and criticized the role of the United States in this regard. They also questioned the role of the US police in suppressing protests organized in sympathy with the Palestinians in the United States.
Donald Lu also reportedly asked about labor rights in Bangladesh. When asked about this, the labor leader Kalpana Akter told Prothom Alo that Donald Lu also wanted to know about the situation of the cases that took place during the movement regarding the reform of the labor law and the wages of the workers of the garment industry.
Donald Lu arrived in Dhaka from Colombo this morning on a three-day visit. He was welcomed at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at around 11:30 am by the Director General (North America Division) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Khandaker Masudul Alam. From the airport, Donald Lu went straight to the US Embassy in Baridhara. From there he attended a discussion meeting at the home of Peter Haas. In the evening, he attended a dinner at the residence of Prime Minister’s Private Industry and Investment Adviser Salman F. Rahman.