Some US lawmakers in Congress have referred to as for sanctions towards Bangladeshi officers within the authorities of Sheikh Hasina, who just lately resigned as prime minister and fled, whereas the US authorities has formally welcomed the appointment of a brand new interim authorities there.
An interim authorities led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus was sworn in on Thursday as elections are set to happen within the Asian nation.
Final month, scholar protests towards quotas reserving a big share of presidency jobs for sure teams engulfed Bangladesh in protests and violence. The demonstrations escalated right into a marketing campaign to oust Hasina, who gained a fourth consecutive time period in January in an election that the opposition boycotted and the U.S. State Division referred to as unfair and free.
Hasina’s departure got here after not less than 300 individuals, a lot of them college students, have been killed within the crackdown on protests.
“The Bangladeshi leaders who orchestrated this brutal crackdown should be held accountable, and we name on the administration to sanction Secretary Basic Quader and Dwelling Minister Khan, as we proceed to work to help a peaceable and democratic Bangladesh,” stated U.S. Senator Van Hollen, a Democratic member of the Senate Overseas Relations Committee.
The lawmaker was referring to Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, who was Hasina’s house minister, and Obaidul Quader, who was the final secretary of Hasina’s Awami League social gathering.
Hollen and 5 different Democratic lawmakers despatched a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen urging sanctions towards the officers. The State Division stated it had no sanctions-related motion deliberate.
“I welcome the swearing-in of Dr. Muhammad Yunus to guide the interim authorities in Bangladesh. America helps his name for calm and peace,” Blinken stated individually on social media.
Human rights teams had accused Hasina of utilizing extreme pressure towards protesters, a cost she denied.
Since his departure, scholar protests have expanded to demand the departure of different officers appointed throughout his administration.
Hasina traveled to New Delhi after leaving Bangladesh, ending her 15-year uninterrupted rule within the nation of 170 million individuals.
Hasina’s downfall sparked each jubilation and violence: her official residence was attacked, statues of her father have been toppled and assaults on minorities have been reported.