State minister for foreign affairs Shahriar Alam has alleged the UK-based international rights organisation Human Rights Watch (HRW) has taken a stance against Bangladesh.
He said their (HRW) responsibility is to work on world human rights. But somehow for a peculiar reason they are continuously taking a stance against Bangladesh since the trial of war crimes, he added.
The state minister for foreign affairs made these remarks at a 'DCAB Talk' organised by Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB) at the state guest house Sugandha on Sunday.
UN under secretary general for peace operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix has reached Dhaka in a two day visit today. The HRW on 12 June issued a statement calling the UN to enhance screening of human rights records before appointing peacekeepers from Bangladesh security forces. Amnesty International also issued a statement in this regard on Friday.
Meanwhile, six members of the US congress in a letter on 25 May urged president Joe Biden to take measures for banning Bangladesh law enforcement and military personnel from participating in UN peacekeeping missions.
State minister Shahriar was asked during the DCAB talk if he had any discussion regarding this issue during talks with the visiting UN under secretary.
In reply, he said Bangladeshi security forces have been working in UN peacekeeping missions since last 10 years and 169 of them have laid down their lives during service. Those who are undermining such achievement are not friends of Bangladesh rather they are the country's enemy.
The state minister said time has come to recognize that those who influenced them by spending money are also Bangladesh’s enemy.
He said the Bangladesh government called HRW and urged them to allow reviewing any report before they publish it. But they did not do that. As a result, Bangladesh has decided not to ‘engage’ with HRW further.
Referring to the letter of the US congress members to the president Biden, the state minister said such letters would come more as election draws near in Bangladesh.
He alleged BNP leaders are loitering around the politicians of Europe and US with draft letters and money. Such letters do not reflect any country’s stance and it is questionable whether those who sent these letters even know Bangladesh well.
Replying to another question, Shahriar Alam said said they do not want to spend public money on engaging lobbyists or PR firms. An organisation named ‘Nelson Mullins’ are currently working. Another organisation was employed for writing articles in a newspaper named BGR, but the contract with them has not been renewed.
DCAB’s president Rezaul Karim Lotus chaired the talk and secretary Imrul Kayes conducted it.