US senators condemn crackdown on quota protests

US senators have condemned Bangladeshi security forces for using force and violence against student protesters.

Senators Ben Cardin, chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Cory Booker issued a statement on Wednesday condemning the violence against students protesting the quota system in public job recruitment.

The security forces involved in these horrific acts include a paramilitary unit whose leaders have faced US sanctions over human rights abuses, the statement said.

"In recent weeks, thousands of students have taken to the streets in Bangladesh to protest a lack of economic opportunity and to end the government's inequitable quota system for public sector employment that reserves government jobs for relatives of veterans of Bangladesh's 1971 war of independence."

The statement said that the Bangladesh security forces, including the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), responded with brutal force, killing hundreds of protesters and arresting and injuring thousands more.

"The right to peacefully assemble and protest is one of the foundations of a democratic society. We call on Bangladeshi authorities to urgently conduct an independent and impartial investigation into the security services' human rights violations, as well as to respect the rights of the protestors, and work in good faith to address their grievances."

It said the United States stands with these courageous individuals who are advocating for their dignity and a prosperous future, and the US authorities will continue to speak out for human rights in Bangladesh and hold those responsible for such abuses to account.

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