FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

August 5, 2024

MEDIA CONTACT: 

e: jessica.myers@mail.house.gov

c: 202.913.0126

Washington, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) released the following statement condemning the prolonged violence against protestors and escalating human rights violations in Bangladesh, and expressing concern for growing national instability following Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s sudden resignation and departure:

“I am deeply concerned by the violence and human rights abuses in Bangladesh that have marked a severe effort by the governing Awami League party to crack down on the peaceful assembly of its people, leading to the deaths of hundreds of protestors and the injuring of thousands more. What began as a student protest against their nation’s inequitable quota system and the lack of public employment it engendered has evolved into a national and intergenerational movement to reject the brutality of the ruling party.

“Today, we witnessed the events of past weeks culminate in demonstrators storming Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s home and forcing her resignation and exodus from the country, signaling the end of her 15-year autocratic and repressive rule over Bangladesh. In this pivotal movement, it is critical the United States takes the necessary steps to support our longtime ally and secure its national stability through this crisis.

“I commend the Biden-Harris Administration’s past action to impose sanctions on the Rapid Action Battalion, which has become directly responsible for numerous abuses over recent weeks. It is imperative we continue to hold government officials accountable for the inhumane treatment of its citizens and condemn any further acts of violence that have, for too long, threatened democracy in Bangladesh and the individual freedoms of its people. The United States has a responsibility to support the transition from the incoming interim government to a new governmental body, centered in democratic ideals and the rights and liberties of every Bangladeshi. We must uphold it.”

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