Fourteen congressmen of the United States (US) sent a letter to the US envoy to the United Nations (UN) calling for deployment of UN peacekeeping forces during Bangladesh's upcoming national election "to prevent intimidation, harassment or assault of voters".
The letter was addressed to Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US ambassador to the UN.
"The people of Bangladesh deserve free and fair elections. I sent a letter to the US ambassador to the UN with my 13 colleagues, expressing concern over violence by the Bangladeshi government against peaceful demonstrators," Bob
Good, one of the signatory congressmen, tweeted on Thursday (27 July).
According to the letter, they called upon the UN, in combination with impartial governments around the world, to participate in supervising and conducting free and fair elections in Bangladesh.
"This should include the provision of peacekeeping forces to prevent intimidation, harassment or assault of voters."
The letter was signed by Bob Good, Scott Perry, Anna Paulina-Luna, Josh Brecheen, Ralph Norman, Andrew Clyde, Eli Crane, Cory Mills, Paul A Gosar, Doug LaMalfa, Ronny L Jackson, Randy Weber, Brian Babin and Glenn Grothman.
"Sheikh Hasina's government is using muscle power to deprive the people of the right to fair elections and hinder the freedom of media and the work of human rights activists," it added.
They urged the ambassador to ask the UN to prevent Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) personnel from being deployed in peacekeeping missions until human rights violation cases against the elite force are investigated.
"Alleged abuses by RAB, including torture, enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial killings, demand immediate condemnation."
In their letter, the 14 US legislators stated that the UN should immediately suspend Bangladesh's membership in the human rights council until an investigation is done into the government's alleged crimes against journalists and political opponents.
The report of the letter came a few hours before the grand rallies of two major political rivals -Awami League and BNP - held within a short distance in Dhaka on Friday.
On 14 June, six US congressmen wrote to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, calling on the Biden administration to facilitate free and fair elections in Bangladesh.
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