US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas has said that there can be no excuse when it comes to democracy and human rights.
“I will go back to a comment that I made earlier – that the United States has decided to put human rights and the issue of freedom of the press at the centre of our foreign policy…” Haas said.
“As President Biden has made it clear, human rights and defence of human rights are central to the US foreign policy. And the sanctions that have been imposed on Rab and some of the officials for human rights are result of that,” he said during a DCAB Talk at Dhaka’s National Press Club today.
The ambassador said that US wants accountability and reforms in Rab – before sanctions against the agency and seven of its current and former top officials can be lifted.
He also spoke of a free and fair election where role of the Election Commission and a free press is crucial.
The US imposed sanctions on Rab on December 10 last year. In the last several months, Bangladesh has been making various efforts to have the sanctions lifted.
Asked what concrete steps Bangladesh can take in this regard, Peter Haas said that US is prioritising Rab’s accountability in potential human rights abuses and reforms to ensure that same violations don’t happen again.
“So, it’s really a question of providing a list of things that must be accomplished. It is about those two principles…,” the ambassador said.
“…It’s not about specifics but the underlying principles: commitment to human rights and accountability in the cases of human rights violations.”
On the upcoming national elections to be held next year, the US ambassador said recently he has been speaking about the importance of holding free and fair election in Bangladesh in line with international standards so that Bangladeshis have the right and ability to freely elect their leaders.
“It is up to Bangladesh to decide how they will be working to create those conditions. We have been looking at some of the international election standards to understand better what they are and looking at the Carter Centre, in particular. They have a very comprehensive list of what those standards are.”
He said freedom of press, no violence and the role of Election Commission are some of the important factors to ensure a fair election.
“This is the job of Bangladesh government, Bangladeshi people, media and Bangladesh’s civil society to ensure free and fair election.”
President of Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh Rezaul Karim Lotus and Secretary AKM Moinuddin also spoke on the occasion.
