The US Congress did not discuss the human rights situation in Bangladesh on August 15 although some of the Bangladeshi media made false reports on the issue, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangladesh.
A press note signed by Muhammad Mohsin Reza, Deputy Principal Information Officer of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sunday night said it on behalf of the ministry.
The press note reads; ‘Our attention has been drawn to some recent media reports stating that Bangladesh’s human rights situation was discussed in the US Congress on 15 August 2023.”
“When checked, it was found that no such discussion took place in the US Congress, neither in the House of Representatives nor in the Senate or in any of the relevant committees of the Congress. As per 2023 Congressional Calendar, the Congress (both the Senate and the House of Representatives) went to recess on 28 July. The Senate session will start on 5th September after the recess and the House of Representatives will be reconvened on 12th of September. Most of the Senators and Congressmen visit their constituencies during the recess.”, it reads.
The press note also said, “However, on 15 August 2023, a virtual briefing session via zoom was hosted by ‘Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission’ in which four panelists from (a) Asian Human Rights Commission & Asian Legal Resource Centre, (b) Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights (c) Human Rights Watch and (d) International Republican Institute presented written statements. Panelists were supposed to offer recommendations for the Congress.”
It said, although the event was said to be hosted by the Tom Lantos Commission, no member of the US Congress made their appearance or made any statement, comment, or observation. The organizers failed to include Bangladesh government and civil society representatives as panelists. Virtual attendance was allowed upon registration. A number of questions were sent to the moderator seeking clarifications and contesting the panelists’ views. Unfortunately, those were not entertained, and the moderator and the panelists responded to comments and questions of their choice.
The Foreign Ministry said there are reasons to believe that a few panelists used the platform to offer unsubstantiated information about the human rights situation in Bangladesh and made deliberate attempts to malign the image of the government of Bangladesh.
It was held on 15 th August, on the National Mourning Day of Bangladesh - the very black day when the worst human rights violation took place with the brutal assassination of Father of the Nation of Bangladesh Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and 18 members of his family. The insensitivity of a few panelists about the day was deplorable. It was not understood why the organizers chose this very day for such a discussion. The government requests everyone to remain alert against any deliberate attempt to propagate misinformation to mislead friends of Bangladesh, the ministry official said.
It may be mentioned that the Tom Lantos Commission is a bi-partisan entity established by the US House of Representatives to raise awareness of human rights issues among the members of Congress and encourage them to actively engage in human rights matters. It has no legislative authority or no jurisdiction over the legislation.
