Reaffirm importance of peaceful assembly, inclusive elections

Some 15 foreign missions in Bangladesh have reaffirmed the importance of free, fair, inclusive, and peaceful electoral processes in the spirit of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

"We, as friends and partners of Bangladesh, eager to further support its success, reaffirm the importance of free, fair, inclusive, and peaceful electoral processes in the spirit of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights," these countries said.   

The foreign missions including USA, UK, Germany, Canada and France, issued a joint statement on Tuesday, reaffirming the government’s commitment to free expression, peaceful assembly, and elections outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

They came up with this statement on Tuesday to mark the upcoming Human Rights Day on 10 December -- a day when the BNP is going to hold their divisional mass rally in Dhaka. But the location of the rally is yet to be fixed.

While the BNP wants to hold their rally at Naya Paltan area, police says the party won’t be allowed to hold any rally on road, except the open space.    

The 15 missions in Bangladesh are: Australian High Commission, British High Commission, High Commission of Canada, Embassy of Denmark, Delegation of the European Union, Embassy of France, Embassy of Germany, Embassy of Italy, Embassy of Japan, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Royal Norwegian Embassy, Embassy of the Kingdom of Spain, Embassy of Sweden, Embassy of Switzerland and Embassy of the United States of America.

The release said, “As we approach Human Rights Day on 10 December, we would like to highlight the fundamental role democracy plays in protecting human rights and promoting development.”   

"We celebrate the freedoms enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and reaffirm the importance of all UN member states adhering to their commitments to free expression, peaceful assembly, and elections, among others outlined in the Declaration," the statement added.

In the statement, the 15 countries said they support and promote democratic governance as a set of values and principles to follow for meaningful participation, equality, security, and inclusive human and economic development.