Afreen calls for space for press, civil society

Washington has repeated its call for allowing space for civil society, the mass media and all actors to engage freely in the democratic process in the run-up to the general election in Bangladesh.
Visiting US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Afreen Akhter made this call on Tuesday, as she was talking to the media after visiting Rohingya camps in Cox's Bazar.
During her discussions with Bangladeshi officials, Ms Afreen said she underlined the importance of free and fair elections in Bangladesh that are peaceful.
"We believe that it's incredibly important that elections are conducted in a free, fair and peaceful manner in support of the prime minister's stated commitment to this goal."
The US dignitary said she visited refugee camp in Cox's Bazar and met with a range of UN officials.
"I just want to thank the Bangladeshi Government for its incredible generosity and hosting a million refugees in a very small and populated country. We cannot thank you enough. …it's an incredible strain, and we really appreciate your generosity."
The United States was the single-largest donor by far when it came to supporting Rohingya refugees and had provided more than $2.2 billion to date since 2017, asserted Ms Afreen.
"We have outpaced anyone else in our support for Bangladesh in their response to this crisis," she reiterated.
Ms Afreen said any kind of repatriation should be voluntary, dignified and safe, and that there should not be any repatriation by force.
"Because, unfortunately, the conditions in Myanmar are not conducive to repatriation at this time, the Burmese government has not agreed to allow humanitarian access to the camps and they've not allowed Rohingya to settle in villages of their choice or in their home."
"And so, we really don't think conditions at this time are right. But we will continue to work closely with Bangladesh and the international community to find a long term solution that includes eventual repatriation," she said.
Simultaneously, the US would continue to provide humanitarian support, Ms Afreen concluded.

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