US state dept briefing raises matter of Bangladesh summoning 13 diplomats

The matter of Bangladesh summoning 13 diplomats due to their statements regarding the attack on independent candidate Ashraful Hossen alias Hero Alom during Dhaka-17 by-election came up in the routine press briefing of the US State Department.

At the US State Department's regular press briefing on Wednesday, Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel addressed the matter of 13 diplomats, including representatives from the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union, being summoned. This action was taken by the Bangladesh Ministry of Foreign Affairs in response to the diplomats' statements condemning the attack on independent candidate Hero Alom during the Dhaka-17 by-election, as reported in Bangladeshi media. The summoning of the UN Resident Coordinator on 20 July was also related to the same issue.

The issues was raised at the briefing about the United States calling for free and fair elections in Bangladesh. All Western allies and development partners are making the same call. But the Bangladesh government is doing the opposite. They are summoning ambassadors. Asked what was his take on this, Patel said, their stance is clear that political violence has no place in a democratic system. The US supports Bangladesh's objective of conducting elections that are free, fair, and peaceful.

Patel also said that the United States has always highlighted the importance of working with Bangladesh to achieve the goal of holding a free and fair election in the country. This aspect holds crucial importance in the bilateral relations between the two nations, as both share a common priority in promoting transparent electoral processes. Patel mentioned that numerous officials from the Bangladeshi government, including the prime minister, have also expressed that free and fair elections are their shared goal.

On 17 July, independent candidate Hero Alom was attacked during the by-election of Dhaka-17 constituencies. Miscreants wearing boat symbol badge threw him on the street and assaulted him.

Gwyn Lewis, the UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh, voiced her apprehensions regarding the attack on Hero Alom through a post on Twitter. In response, the government expressed its dissatisfaction by summoning Sheldon Yett, the acting resident coordinator of the United Nations in Dhaka, to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 20 July. During Gwyn Lewis's absence, Sheldon Yett, who also serves as the UNICEF representative in Bangladesh, assumed the role of UN Resident Coordinator.

On 19 July, a joint statement was issued by a coalition of countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, and the European Union (EU) condemning the attack on Hero Alom.

In response to this incident, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Shahriar Alam, held a meeting with the ambassadors of 13 foreign missions on Wednesday. During this meeting, he conveyed the government's dissatisfaction about the matter.