Bangladesh: UN Chief Welcomes Efforts To Hold Polls, US Denies Involvement in Crisis | Updates – News18

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday (August 13) has welcomed efforts of Bangladesh’s interim government to restore calm and organise parliamentary elections in the country, urging the inclusion of women as well as minority communities in the process.

Saying he stands in full solidarity with the people of Bangladesh and calls for the full respect of their human rights, he urged new interim leader Muhammad Yunus to continue to make every effort in the coming weeks to be inclusive.

“The Secretary-General welcomes efforts to restore calm and organise parliamentary elections in Bangladesh, with the support of an interim government,” read the statement issued on Monday (August 12) by Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the secretary-general.

“He (Guterres) continues to underscore the need for a full, independent, impartial, and transparent investigation into all acts of violence,” it added.

The US, meanwhile, denied any involvement in the crisis in Bangladesh and said it will continue to monitor the situation the turmoil-ridden country. The White House stressed that President Joe Biden is “consistent in speaking loud and clear” on human rights issues.

Yunus was sworn in as head of Bangladesh’s interim government last week. Student-led protests across Bangladesh, which turned violent and claimed the lives of at least 450 people in more than a month, forced prime minister Sheikh Hasina to resign and leave the country.

But, more than 230 people have been killed in the aftermath of her ouster, as large-scale violence and anarchy continued with targeted attacks against religious minorities. This has taken the death toll to 560 since the anti-quota protests first started in mid-July.

Here are the updates: