UN welcomes efforts to restore calm in BD
BNP writes to UN for probe into "genocide" during student movement
FE REPORT | Wednesday, 14 August 2024
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has welcomed efforts to restore calm and organise parliamentary elections in Bangladesh, with the support from the interim government.
He has urged the interim government in the coming weeks to continue to make every effort to be inclusive, including by taking into account the voices of women, youth, and people across the country, as well as that of minority and indigenous communities, as the country moves towards parliamentary elections, his deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said in a daily press briefing on Tuesday.
The UN chief stands in full solidarity with the people of Bangladesh and calls for the full respect of their human rights. He continues to underscore the need for a full, independent, impartial, and transparent investigation into all acts of violence, Haq referred the UN chief.
There will continue to be an open, inclusive process of government formation and there can be a quick timetable for restoration of a democratic rule, the spokesman also said.
In another reply, he said, "We are against all attacks on journalists anywhere for any reason. And we are alarmed at the reports of attacks that have taken place."
Meanwhile, BNP on Tuesday submitted a letter to the United Nations for an international investigation into the "genocide" committed by the ousted Sheikh Hasina government during the student-led mass movement, reports UNB.
Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, a member of the BNP Standing Committee, handed over the letter to the UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh, Gwyn Lewis, at her Gulshan office.
Later, talking to reporters, he said BNP requested the UN to unearth the full extent of the incidents of the massacre and killings perpetrated against Bangladeshi citizens under the 'illegal' Awami League government through an impartial and transparent investigation that adheres to international standards.
Chowdhury said the letter would be forwarded to the UN headquarters from the UN Resident Coordinator's office.