A group of six members of US Congress have written to Secretary of State Antony J Blinken, asking to know what steps the US government is taking to help ensure free and fair national elections in Bangladesh.

They made the call in a letter written to US secretary of state Antony Blinken on June 8 this year. 

Signatories to the letter are William R. Keating, James P. McGovern, Barbara Lee, Jim Costa, Dina Titus, and Jamie Raskin.

‘We write to express our concern about the ongoing deterioration of the human rights situation in Bangladesh as elections approach in January 2024. We urge the State Department and other US agencies to continue to call for accountability for serious violations committed by law enforcement agencies, including the recently sanctioned Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), a paramilitary unit of the Bangladesh Police created in 2004,’ the letter reads.

Besides, they welcomed the US visa restrictions and sanctions against the RAB and seven of its current and former officials. "Unfortunately, despite these actions, repression in Bangladesh has not ceased."

The December 2021 US sanctions empowered many in Bangladeshi society to speak out about the human rights violations they have witnessed, documented, or experienced at the hands of various law enforcement agencies, said the letter.

"At the same time, the decision not to invite Bangladesh to the 2023 Summit of Democracy was a clear signal that the State Department recognises the country's democratic and human rights challenges ahead of scheduled 2024 elections," it added. 

Six European parliamentarians in a joint letter earlier on Monday (June 12) urged the High Representative of the Parliament to take action to restore democracy in Bangladesh.

Earlier May 17,  a separate group six other US congressmen wrote to US President Joe Biden, calling for urgent actions to stop the "human rights abuses" by the Bangladesh government and give the people of Bangladesh the best possible chance for free and fair parliamentary elections.

BDST: 1016 HRS, JUNE 15, 2023
MN/SMS