DHAKA: The EU urged Bangladesh’s interim government chief adviser Muhammad Yunus to prioritise the rule of law, respect due process, and safeguard the fundamental rights of its citizens. Monday’s call follows allegations of “ongoing and egregious” human rights abuses, particularly targeting minority groups like Hindus, since the caretaker govt assumed power in August.
EU ambassador to Bangladesh Michael Miller addressed these concerns during a meeting in Dhaka with Yunus, his foreign affairs adviser M Touhid Hossain, and 19 EU diplomats. “It is particularly important to communicate what you are doing well, and the challenges you face,” Miller said.
Paris-based human rights organisation JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) had earlier appealed to EU ambassadors to confront what it described as “widespread” rights violations in the country. The group claimed that abuses have escalated since the Aug uprising that toppled the Awami League govt. Robert Simon, a prominent French human rights activist and chief adviser of JMBF, urged the international community to intervene.
Ambassador Miller reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to supporting Bangladesh’s transition and ongoing work of the nation’s reform commissions. “We look to the emergence of specific, prioritised reforms around which there is broad political consensus,” he said.