[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 396 Introduced in House (IH)]
114th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 396
Calling on the Government of Bangladesh to protect the human rights of
all its citizens, particularly vulnerable minorities, strengthen
democratic institutions and rule of law, and prevent the growth of
extremist groups.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 29, 2015
Ms. Gabbard (for herself, Mr. Salmon, Mr. Sherman, Mr. Fattah, and Mr.
Dold) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the
Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Calling on the Government of Bangladesh to protect the human rights of
all its citizens, particularly vulnerable minorities, strengthen
democratic institutions and rule of law, and prevent the growth of
extremist groups.
Whereas the nation of Bangladesh achieved independence in 1971 and established a
secular democratic state, which is home to Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists,
Christians, and atheists;
Whereas there is extensive documentation that the West Pakistan army in
conjunction with local militias carried out crimes against humanity
against the ethnic Bengali population in East Pakistan during the 1971
War of Independence;
Whereas though numbers vary, reports indicate that the violence resulted in
approximately 3,000,000 deaths, more than 10,000,000 displaced, and
200,000 women raped;
Whereas Edward Kennedy, the former Democratic Senator from Massachusetts,
denounced the massacres of civilians on the Senate floor and wrote the
following in a report for a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee Hearing,
``Field reports to the U.S. Government, countless eye-witness
journalistic accounts, reports of International agencies such as World
Bank and additional information available to the subcommittee document
the reign of terror which grips East Bengal (East Pakistan). Hardest hit
have been members of the Hindu community who have been robbed of their
lands and shops, systematically slaughtered, and in some places, painted
with yellow patches marked `H'. All of this has been officially
sanctioned, ordered and implemented under martial law from Islamabad'';
Whereas a report by the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) following the
war confirmed that the Pakistani army and local paramilitary militias
were responsible for an ``attempt to exterminate or drive out of the
country a large part of the Hindu population of approximately 10 million
people.'';
Whereas Bengali nationalists also carried out attacks on the ethnic Bihari
population, who were viewed as supporters of Pakistan during the war;
Whereas during violent riots against the International Crimes Tribunals (ICT),
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) along with its opposition alliance
partner Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), and Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS)
supporters set off dozens of bombs, removed tracks from major railways,
attacked security personnel, and forcibly shut down businesses,
disrupting life for ordinary Bangladeshis;
Whereas the Tribunals were established in 2010 by Bangladesh to investigate war
crimes committed during the 1971 War of Independence by local militias,
including JeI and ICS, that collaborated with the Pakistani army;
Whereas BNP, JeI, and ICS engaged in widespread violence against vulnerable
minorities following verdicts by the tribunals, resulting in the
destruction of nearly 50 temples and 1,500 homes;
Whereas Amnesty International, subsequent to the violence, noted with concern
that, ``The Hindu community in Bangladesh is at extreme risk . . . It is
shocking that they appear to be targeted simply for their religion. The
authorities must ensure that they receive the protection they need.'';
Whereas minorities were similarly targeted by BNP, JeI, and ICS in the run-up to
and during the recently conducted elections, during which 495 Hindu
homes were damaged, 585 shops were attacked or looted, and 169 temples
were vandalized between November 2013 and January 2014, according to the
Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council;
Whereas religious extremists have also attacked Buddhists, Christians, and
Ahmadi Muslims;
Whereas JeI and ICS, and other extremist groups pose an ongoing threat to
Bangladesh's stability and secular democracy, and religious minorities
remain at grave risk of continuing violence;
Whereas the recent flawed elections also threaten Bangladesh's stability and
democracy by leading to violence around the country;
Whereas machete wielding Islamic extremists brutally murdered Avijit Roy and
critically injured his wife Rafida Ahmed, both United States citizens of
Bangladeshi origin and atheist activists, on February 26, 2015, in close
proximity of police officers at the world famous Dhaka Book Fair;
Whereas Islamic extremists in Bangladesh have a history of targeting atheist
bloggers and activists, as more than 8 have been murdered over the past
11 years, and dozens more are now in hiding for fear of their lives;
Whereas repeated attacks on religious minorities, expanding religious
intolerance, and growing destabilization caused by radical groups,
including JeI and ICS, undermine United States economic and strategic
interests in Bangladesh;
Whereas there is a growing trend of Islamic extremism in Bangladesh tied to pro-
Islamic State of Iraq and Syria activity, with several arrests of
Islamists linked with the terrorist group made over the past year; and
Whereas the United States should more actively engage with the Government of
Bangladesh over their shared interests in safeguarding human rights,
religious freedom, and secular democracy in Bangladesh, while preventing
the growth of religious extremism and militancy: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) acknowledges the victims of the 1971 War of
Independence;
(2) calls on the Government of Bangladesh to adhere to
internationally recognized norms for elections, rule of law,
and for due process in the conduct of the International Crimes
Tribunal;
(3) calls on the Government of Bangladesh to stop radical
organizations, such as Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Chhatra
Shibir, who pose an ongoing threat to the country's stability
and secular democracy; and
(4) calls on the Government of Bangladesh to protect the
human rights and fundamental freedoms of all its citizens,
particularly vulnerable minorities.
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