[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 318 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 318

  Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the critical need for 
        political reform in Bangladesh, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           December 11, 2013

   Mr. Durbin (for himself, Mr. Enzi, and Mr. Murphy) submitted the 
 following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
                               Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the critical need for 
        political reform in Bangladesh, and for other purposes.

Whereas the nation of Bangladesh was established in 1971 after a bitter war in 
        which it split from Pakistan, and for many of the ensuing years until 
        1990, it was ruled by military governments;
Whereas political tensions have at times turned to violence in Bangladesh, 
        undermining the democratic process;
Whereas the last parliamentary elections in Bangladesh originally scheduled for 
        January 2007, were postponed indefinitely after the military intervened 
        amid rising violence and questions about the electoral process's 
        credibility;
Whereas a military-backed civilian caretaker government held power until 
        December 2008 when Bangladeshis returned to the polls to elect a new 
        parliament for the first time in many years;
Whereas ongoing antagonism between the country's two ruling parties, the Awami 
        League and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, distracts from the 
        important needs of the country;
Whereas concerns have grown about religious extremism in the otherwise usually 
        tolerant country;
Whereas the United States-Bangladesh relationship is strong and involves many 
        shared interests, including regional economic integration, 
        counterterrorism, counter-piracy, poverty alleviation, food security, 
        regional stability, and mitigation of natural disasters;
Whereas bilateral trade between the United States and Bangladesh now tops 
        $6,000,000,000 annually, with major United States companies making 
        significant long-term investments in Bangladesh;
Whereas the economy of Bangladesh has grown six percent per year over the last 
        two decades, despite a range of challenges;
Whereas the poverty rate in Bangladesh dropped from 40 percent to 31 percent 
        between 2005 and 2010--a notable accomplishment in a country in which 
        poverty has been deep and widespread;
Whereas the Grameen Bank's revolutionary microfinance lending to the poor has 
        helped reduce poverty not only in Bangladesh, but has served as an 
        innovative and powerful model for helping the poor elsewhere in the 
        world;
Whereas the Department of State, Congress, and other high profile international 
        voices have recognized the Grameen Bank's innovative work and expressed 
        great concern over actions by the Government of Bangladesh that 
        undermine the Bank's independence;
Whereas Bangladesh, an example of a moderate and diverse Muslim-majority 
        democracy, is scheduled to have national elections on January 5, 2014;
Whereas, in 2013, hundreds of Bangladeshis died in violent clashes as a result 
        of political violence and unrest, and some opposition and human rights 
        activists have been arrested;
Whereas trials held by the International Crimes Tribunal in Bangladesh--set up 
        to prosecute those responsible for atrocities committed during 
        Bangladesh's war of liberation with Pakistan in 1971--have fallen short 
        of international standards;
Whereas the Government of Bangladesh eliminated a constitutional provision 
        requiring the governing party to cede power to a neutral caretaker 
        government three months before an election;
Whereas the 18-member opposition coalition in Bangladesh called for numerous 
        nationwide strikes and transportation blockades in 2013, resulting in 
        dozens of deaths;
Whereas Bangladeshi students cannot attend school and complete mandatory exams 
        due to the strikes and blockades and related violence;
Whereas many citizens of Bangladesh have had their work and daily activities 
        disrupted due to the strikes and related violence, which come at a cost 
        to the economy and stability of Bangladesh;
Whereas a stable, moderate, secular, Muslim-majority democracy with the world's 
        seventh-largest population, and the world's fourth-largest Muslim 
        population, will have lasting positive impacts in the region and beyond;
Whereas the success of the democratic process in Bangladesh is of great 
        importance to the United States and the world; and
Whereas during the week of December 8, 2013, United Nations Assistant Secretary 
        General Oscar Fernandez-Taranco visited Bangladesh to foster political 
        dialogue between Bangladeshi political parties and leaders in order to 
        bring a halt to violence and allow for a credible peaceful election: 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) condemns the political violence in Bangladesh and urges 
        political leaders in that country to engage directly and 
        substantively in a dialogue toward free, fair, and credible 
        elections;
            (2) expresses great concern about the continued political 
        deadlock in Bangladesh that distracts from the country's many 
        important challenges;
            (3) urges political leaders in Bangladesh to take immediate 
        steps to rein in and to condemn the violence as well as to 
        provide space for peaceful political protests;
            (4) urges political leaders in Bangladesh to ensure the 
        safety and access of observers in its upcoming elections;
            (5) supports ongoing efforts by United Nations Assistant 
        Secretary General Oscar Fernandez-Taranco to foster political 
        dialogue between political factions in Bangladesh; and
            (6) urges the Government of Bangladesh to ensure judicial 
        independence, end harassment of human rights activists, and 
        restore the independence of the Grameen Bank.
                                 <all>