'Cycle of retaliation': US lawmakers write to Yunus, express concern over banning Sheikh Hasina's Awami League

Five US lawmakers expressed concern amid the crisis in Bangladesh and wrote to Mohammed Yunus to reconsider the decision to fully suspend the activity of Sheikh Hasina's Awami League.

"It is vital that the interim government work with parties across the political spectrum to create the conditions for free and fair elections that allow the voice of the Bangladeshi people to be expressed peacefully through the ballot box, as well as reforms that restore confidence in the integrity and nonpartisanship of state institutions. We are concerned that this cannot happen if the government suspends activities of political parties or again restarts the flawed International Crimes Tribunal," the letter by Gregory W Meeks, Bill Huizenga, Sydney Kamlager-Dove, Julie Johnson and Thomas R Suozzi said. Stating the findings of the Department of State that the 2018 and 2024 elections in Bangladesh were not free and fair, the lawmakers said that if one party gets banned, the next election will also not be free.

"The Department of State and many other international observers noted that the 2018 and 2024 General Elections were not free or fair. And in a February fact-finding report, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights estimated that security services killed 1400 people during protests in July and August 2024.

Genuine accountability for these acts and others should model the values of Bangladesh's democracy, rather than continue a cycle of retaliation.

Freedom of association, as well as the principle of individual rather than collective criminal responsibility, are fundamental human rights. We are concerned that the decision to fully suspend the activity of any one political party, rather than focus on persons determined to have committed crimes or gross violations of human rights through the due process of law, is inconsistent with those principles," the letter read. "We hope your government or an elected successor will revisit this decision. Ultimately, the Bangladeshi people deserve to be able to choose an elected government in a free and fair election in which all political parties can participate so that their voices are represented," it said. "Bangladesh is a critical partner for the United States, and we stand ready to work with you and your government to support both our bilateral relationship and Bangladesh's democratic transition in the months ahead," the lawmakers added.