[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 175 (Wednesday, December 11, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Page S8674]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



     SENATE RESOLUTION 318--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE 
     REGARDING THE CRITICAL NEED FOR POLITICAL REFORM IN 
     BANGLADESH, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
  Mr. DURBIN (for himself, Mr. Enzi, and Mr. Murphy) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
Relations:

                              S. Res. 318

       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.

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