UNB, Dhaka :
A number of European Parliament (EP) members on Thursday voiced concern over the escalation of political tensions in Bangladesh saying they do not see any willingness among the major political parties to reach a ‘compromise’ and resolve the crisis through ‘dialogue’.
Describing their discussions with stakeholders in Bangladesh, they said they, quite honestly, did not see any scope of any compromise and did not even see any window of compromise, according to a video uploaded at the EP website on the discussions.
The observations were made while discussing the feedback from the EP Subcommittee on Human Rights mission in Brussels that recently visited Bangladesh.
A three-member delegation of the Sub-committee on Human Rights of the European Parliament, led by Cristian Dan Preda, visited Bangladesh from February 16-20.
The EP members said everybody in Bangladesh’s political arena was on a very rigid stance. They also said some of the stakeholders expressed views with the EP delegation during their stay in Dhaka that nothing is going to be changed within the next few weeks and it may turn into civil war if such situation continues.
They expressed concern over the indiscriminate violence, targeted violence, and said there are many areas where they need to work together. They also said they have common security concerns as Bangladesh is their important partner. A Bangladesh representative was also there and she described Bangladesh government’s position over the current situation.
The official, whose name could not be known, also said BNP-Jamaat men in the name of politics are killing innocent people. She said the people have rejected hartal and blockade and a normalcy in people’s life is returning.
Earlier, one of the participants in the debate said there are some concerns regarding the freedom of media and expression though media is very vibrant in Bangladesh. He said this an area on which they need to keep eyes in the coming days.
The EP members appreciated Bangladesh’s efforts in empowering women and mentioned that the Prime Minister, the opposition leader and the BNP chief are women.
They, however, said Bangladesh needs to withdraw all types of reservation and should implement fully the international convention on empowering women at all levels.
They also talked about Foreign Donation Act and Jamaat funding through NGOs. They mentioned about the arrest warrant that has been issued against Khaleda Zia, which has not been implemented yet. They fear that it might lead to dramatic escalation of the tensions and the arrest might be very problematic.
Concluding the discussion, the chair of the session, said they will remain connected with Bangladesh over the next few months. Seeking an immediate end to the growing violence in Bangladesh, the European Parliament delegation during their Dhaka visit echoed the international community and Bangladesh civil society’s call for solving the political crisis. The EP delegation also said peace and stability should not be restored at the expense of civil and political rights. Freedom of expression was also a matter of concern as discussed with multiple interlocutors, it said adding that freedom of expression is a fundamental pillar of a pluralistic and vibrant democracy.
He said the respect for human rights and democracy will be an essential component for Bangladesh to realise its full potential to reach its declared goal of becoming a middle-income country by 2021.
A number of European Parliament (EP) members on Thursday voiced concern over the escalation of political tensions in Bangladesh saying they do not see any willingness among the major political parties to reach a ‘compromise’ and resolve the crisis through ‘dialogue’.
Describing their discussions with stakeholders in Bangladesh, they said they, quite honestly, did not see any scope of any compromise and did not even see any window of compromise, according to a video uploaded at the EP website on the discussions.
The observations were made while discussing the feedback from the EP Subcommittee on Human Rights mission in Brussels that recently visited Bangladesh.
A three-member delegation of the Sub-committee on Human Rights of the European Parliament, led by Cristian Dan Preda, visited Bangladesh from February 16-20.
The EP members said everybody in Bangladesh’s political arena was on a very rigid stance. They also said some of the stakeholders expressed views with the EP delegation during their stay in Dhaka that nothing is going to be changed within the next few weeks and it may turn into civil war if such situation continues.
They expressed concern over the indiscriminate violence, targeted violence, and said there are many areas where they need to work together. They also said they have common security concerns as Bangladesh is their important partner. A Bangladesh representative was also there and she described Bangladesh government’s position over the current situation.
The official, whose name could not be known, also said BNP-Jamaat men in the name of politics are killing innocent people. She said the people have rejected hartal and blockade and a normalcy in people’s life is returning.
Earlier, one of the participants in the debate said there are some concerns regarding the freedom of media and expression though media is very vibrant in Bangladesh. He said this an area on which they need to keep eyes in the coming days.
The EP members appreciated Bangladesh’s efforts in empowering women and mentioned that the Prime Minister, the opposition leader and the BNP chief are women.
They, however, said Bangladesh needs to withdraw all types of reservation and should implement fully the international convention on empowering women at all levels.
They also talked about Foreign Donation Act and Jamaat funding through NGOs. They mentioned about the arrest warrant that has been issued against Khaleda Zia, which has not been implemented yet. They fear that it might lead to dramatic escalation of the tensions and the arrest might be very problematic.
Concluding the discussion, the chair of the session, said they will remain connected with Bangladesh over the next few months. Seeking an immediate end to the growing violence in Bangladesh, the European Parliament delegation during their Dhaka visit echoed the international community and Bangladesh civil society’s call for solving the political crisis. The EP delegation also said peace and stability should not be restored at the expense of civil and political rights. Freedom of expression was also a matter of concern as discussed with multiple interlocutors, it said adding that freedom of expression is a fundamental pillar of a pluralistic and vibrant democracy.
He said the respect for human rights and democracy will be an essential component for Bangladesh to realise its full potential to reach its declared goal of becoming a middle-income country by 2021.
