The United States Senate has passed a resolution urging Bangladesh’s political leaders to hold dialogue towards a free and credible election. The resolution was passed on January 7, two days after the January 5 parliamentary elections, boycotted by many parties including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. The Senate resolution also condemned the political violence in Bangladesh. Senator Richard Durbin submitted the resolution on December 11, which was referred to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. Eight other
Senators co-sponsored the resolution. On December 18, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee cleared the resolution for the Senate to consider.
The resolution was agreed in the Senate with only an amendment to the title and with a preamble by unanimous consent. There were no roll call votes for this bill.
When submitted, the title of the resolution was ‘Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the critical need for political reform in Bangladesh, and for other purposes’.
But the title was amended with insertion of ‘critical need for political dialogue’ instead of critical need for political reform’ in Bangladesh.
The resolution supported the ongoing efforts by United Nations (UN) Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs Oscar Fernandez-Taranco to foster political dialogue in Bangladesh.
It urged the Bangladesh government to ensure judicial independence, end harassment of human rights activists, and restore the independence of the Grameen Bank.
The resolution called upon the political leaders in Bangladesh to rein in and to condemn the violence and provide space for peaceful political protests.
Courtesy of The Independent
