Basic human rights must be respected: US State Department on Bangladesh

Principal Deputy Spokesperson of the US Department of State, Vedant Patel on Wednesday (local time) while speaking on the atrocities in Bangladesh said that the US will stress that basic human rights and human dignities must be respected.

When asked about the USA's reaction to recent protests by thousands of Hindus around the US, India and Bangladesh, Patel said that this issue is vital to the US.

"This is an area of vital importance to us. Anywhere around the country, we want to make sure first that protests are taking place peacefully, that the basic human rights and human dignity of all people are being respected, and that is something that we will continue to stress with counterparts and partners around the world, including in the case of Bangladesh, of course, the interim government as well," he said.

Talking about a media house that has published a finding of an inquiry commission in Bangladesh that was investigating the issues of enforced disappearances, Patel said that enforced disappearance is an egregious human rights violation.

"We have been deeply troubled by the reports that hundreds of Bangladeshis were forcibly disappeared over the past two decades. Enforced disappearance is an egregious human rights violation that inflicts the trauma of indeterminate detention or disappearance on its victims. It also inflicts the trauma of uncertainty on the families. We welcome efforts by the interim government to investigate these crimes and encourage fair and transparent processes to provide justice for the victims and their family members," Patel said.

Talking about the impending elections in Bangladesh that could be scheduled between late 2025 and the first half of 2026, Patel said that the US welcomes the move and that they will keep an eye on the way the elections are being held.

"We welcome steps that have been taken by this interim government of Bangladesh to prepare for elections that ultimately will allow the Bangladeshi people to choose their own government representatives. This is something that we're going to continue to monitor regarding the timing, and of course we're going to encourage the respect of the rule of law over the course of this whole process, as well as the respect for democratic principles should a transition come to fruition. And as we would throughout the world, our - we would advocate for free and fair elections conducted in a peaceful manner," he said.

Chinmoy Krishna Das, also a former priest of ISKCON, was arrested by police from Dhaka Airport on November 25 on a charge of sedition in Bangladesh, sparking protests worldwide. Bangladesh also reported several attacks on Hindus and other minorities after Muhammad Yunus took charge of the interim government.