Canada Condemns recent HR violation in Bangladesh: http://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2013/03/09/canada-condemns-attacks
Canada has condemned recent attacks on civilians and minorities in Bangladesh and urged authorities to protect ‘rights and lives’ of the common peo
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Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird in a statement has said his country is deeply concerned over what has happened in recent weeks.
“We condemn in the strongest terms senseless attacks on civilians, most notably those on minorities in their homes and places of worship,” the statement says.
The country, a major development partner of Bangladesh, has urged all to adopt a peaceful way of resolving issues.
“Canada is deeply concerned by the escalating and deadly violence that has injured thousands and claimed the lives of scores of Bangladeshis. We urge all parties to end the violence, to work towards peacefully resolving the conflict and to reverse the growing divisions in Bangladeshi society.
“We also call on authorities to protect the rights and the lives of all Bangladeshis.”
The minister in the statement posted on the website has also urged all parties to respect the rights to freedom of expression and assembly in the run-up to national elections.
The statement stresses on the need for exercising rights in a ‘peaceful and democratic manner.’
The minister said they welcomed Bangladesh’s commitment to pluralism and religious freedom, and “We encourage further efforts by the government and all parties to promote peace and tolerance.”
The statement has been issued in the wake of violence and atrocities across Bangladesh launched by Jamaat-e-Islami after its senior leader Delwar Hossain Sayedee was awarded death sentence on Feb 28 for his role during the War of Liberation in 1971.
The party had sided with Pakistan during the war and formed citizens’ brigades to aid its military against the freedom struggle. It has been opposing the war crimes trial after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government initiated it in 2010.
Nearly 70 people died in recent violence amid calls for executions for war crimes.
As different countries have expressed their concerns over the violence, Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister Dipu Moni briefed foreign diplomats in Dhaka on Thursday.
She sought support of the international community for the trial to purge Bangladesh of impunity and urged them take ‘a holistic perspective’ about the ongoing trials and its significance for the nation building efforts.