United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed deep concern over the recent surge in violence in Bangladesh, stressing that minorities must feel safe in the country, his spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said.
“We’re very concerned about the violence we’ve seen in Bangladesh,” Dujarric told reporters when asked about attacks on minorities, including recent incidents of lynching targeting Hindus. “All Bangladeshis need to feel safe.”
Emphasising the rights of minority communities, he added, “Whether it’s in Bangladesh or any other country, people who don’t belong to the so-called majority need to feel safe.”
Referring to the government led by Muhammad Yunus, Dujarric said the United Nations was confident that the authorities would take steps to protect all citizens. “We’re confident that the government will do what it can to keep every single Bangladeshi safe,” he said.
Violence against minority communities has intensified following the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, a youth leader and spokesperson for the Inquilab Mancha, who was attacked earlier this month. Tensions have been simmering since the overthrow of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August last year, and have escalated sharply over the past two weeks.
Several Hindus, reportedly unconnected to political activity, have been lynched in recent days because of their religious identity, triggering widespread concern.
Last week, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk also called for restraint and an immediate end to the violence. “Retaliation and revenge will only deepen divisions and undermine the rights of all,” Türk said.
With elections scheduled for February, he stressed that it was essential to ensure an environment in which all citizens can participate safely and peacefully in public life.
Meanwhile, in Washington, two members of the US House of Representatives strongly condemned the violence against Hindus and attacks on the media in Bangladesh.
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi said he was “appalled by the targeted mob killing of Dipu Chandra Das, a Hindu man in Bangladesh – an act of violence amid a period of dangerous instability and unrest.”
Another lawmaker, Suhas Subramanyam, said he was “deeply troubled” by the lynching of Das, noting that “since the recent change in government, reports of attacks against Hindu and other minority communities have increased, including assaults on homes and temples.”
(IANS)
