US welcomes interim govt’s election plan

The United States has welcomed the interim government’s election plan and said that they would advocate for “free and fair” elections conducted in a “peaceful” manner.

“So 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,” said Principal Deputy Spokesperson of the US State Department, Vedant Patel on Wednesday.

He said that the US is 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,” Patel added.

“And as we would throughout the world, our – we would advocate for free and fair elections conducted in a peaceful manner,” Patel added.

Responding to a separate question, he said they have been deeply troubled by 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,” he said.

It also inflicts the trauma of uncertainty on the families, Patel said.

“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,” he said.