Staff Reporter :
As Bangladesh prepares for holding general election next year, the European Union (EU) desires it to be free, fair and transparent with complete freedom to the parties and voters who are going to take part in the electoral process.
“Elections should be credible and inclusive and results should be acceptable to all the political parties taking part in the process which is crucial for Bangladesh’s stability, economic growth, development and promote and protect the human rights of all,” said the EU in a statement on Saturday.
The EU also encouraged Bangladesh to continue its efforts to protect the rights of the Rohingyas saying that the EU remained vocal against the plights inflicted on the Rohingya people.
“The recent situation of the Rohingya community in Myanmar has once again reminded the world that almost 70 years after the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, these rights are still vulnerable to large-scale persecution and human rights violations due to differences in culture, religion and ethnicity,” said the EU in a statement today.
The EU Embassy in Dhaka issued the statement on the occasion of Human Rights Day on December 10.
On December 10, 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which has been accepted by virtually all States and has been incorporated into their laws and legal obligations.
In 2017, the world will mark the 69th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration.
Human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights are core values embedded in the European Union (EU) treaties and working of the European Union.
In the Cooperation Agreement signed between Bangladesh and the European Union in 2001, both sides reaffirmed the importance they attached to the principles of human rights in the UN Conventions.
The EU said human rights have become an integral part of the EU-Bangladesh relations.
