[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 97 (Tuesday, June 7, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E581]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 STANDING WITH THE PEOPLE OF BANGLADESH

                                  _____
                                 

                           HON. JAMIE RASKIN

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 7, 2022

  Mr. RASKIN. Madam Speaker, I rise today in solidarity with the people 
of Bangladesh. I want to voice my support for human rights defenders, 
members of minority groups, and civil society in Bangladesh at this 
moment when the Bangladeshi government is persisting in threatening the 
basic human rights and civil liberties of its people. The Bangladeshi 
government, led by Sheikh Hasina of the Awami League, has earned 
widespread criticism for its deteriorating human rights record, and for 
its failure to protect the most vulnerable people living in Bangladesh-
indigenous people, women, religious minorities, activists, and 
refugees.
  Amnesty International tracks human rights abuses in Bangladesh and 
has noted their acceleration during the pandemic. Under the draconian 
Digital Security Act of 2018, Bangladeshi journalists and other human 
rights defenders are routinely persecuted for reporting on corruption 
or criticizing any of the government's policies. COVID-19 policies 
against public gatherings have been used to prevent political meetings, 
and to quell public protests against the government. Violence against 
women and indigenous activists has also intensified during the 
pandemic.
  The Bangladeshi government employs a joint task force composed of 
members of police, military, and border guards called the Rapid Action 
Battalion, and it has consistently failed to address the excesses of 
these and other security forces. The Rapid Action Battalion and other 
Bangladeshi law enforcement entities are alleged to be responsible for 
more than 600 disappearances since 2009 and nearly 600 extrajudicial 
killings since 2018. These incidents reportedly target opposition party 
members, journalists, and human rights activists.
  Last August, the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, of which I am a 
member, hosted a briefing on the deeply disturbing uptick in enforced 
disappearances in Bangladesh. Representatives from Human Rights Watch 
and the Asian Human Rights Commission participated, as did Bangladeshi 
photojournalist and activist Shahidul Alam who had been unlawfully 
arrested after posting criticism of the Bangladeshi Government on 
Facebook, and the sister of disappeared opposition leader Sajedul Islam 
Sumon. These violent and illegal forced disappearances have chilling 
effects on free speech, political opposition, and civil society.
  On International Human Rights Day last year, the U.S. Department of 
the Treasury announced sanctions on the Rapid Action Battalion, citing 
how their actions undermine the rule of law and respect for human 
rights and fundamental freedoms. The United Nations reported that since 
the sanctions against the Rapid Action Battalion officials were 
announced in December, the Bangladeshi government has responded by 
launching a retaliatory campaign of intimidation and harassment. The 
homes of at least 10 relatives of people forcibly disappeared are 
reported to have been raided at night, and some relatives were forced 
to sign statements saying that their loved ones had not in fact been 
forcibly disappeared,
  Today, I ask my colleagues to join me in standing with the people of 
Bangladesh, especially those bravest and most vulnerable, and urging 
the Bangladeshi government to take immediate action to respect the 
civil rights and safety of all the people of Bangladesh.

                          ____________________