US national security advisor Jake Sullivan on Monday spoke on call with Bangladesh’s interim government’s chief adviser Muhammad Yunus, with both leaders expressing their “commitment to protect human rights of all people, regardless of religion,” amid escalating outrage over large-scale attacks on minority Hindus in the South Asian nation.
“Both leaders expressed their commitment to respecting and protecting the human rights of all people, regardless of religion,” the White House said in a statement detailing their conversation.
“Sullivan re-iterated the United States’ support for a prosperous, stable, and democratic Bangladesh, and offered the United States’ continued support in meeting the challenges Bangladesh faces,” the White House statement further added. Sullivan also expressed gratitude to Yunus for his leadership in navigating Bangladesh through a challenging period, the White House stated, news agency PTI reported.
The call came just prior to the transition of power from the Biden administration to Donald Trump, who will assume office as the 47th US President on January 20.
It also came days after Indian American Democratic Congressman Shri Thanedar, urged the White House to address the killings of Hindus and the destruction of their temples in Bangladesh with the head of the country’s interim government.
Speaking at the US Capitol last week, Thanedar told reporters that, “The United States has a storied history of championing the oppressed and this issue should be no different. When we receive a global call for help, we must respond appropriately as the world’s bellwether of human rights. We must urge Prime Minister Muhammad Yunus to fulfill his promise of restoring peace and rebuilding the nation on principles of equality and justice.
According to HinduACTion, concerning reports have emerged about violent attacks against Hindus, particularly in the past fortnight, with affected individuals on the ground seeking urgent assistance.
Utsav Chakrabarti, HinduACTion’s executive director, noted that events in Bangladesh over the past five and a half months indicate that “Muhammad Yunus has failed to contain” his associates in the Jamaat-e-Islami, who are reportedly engaging in temple destruction, killings, sexual assault of women, and persecution of Hindu religious leaders and community figures through imprisonment.
“It is important that we clearly chart out a path for safe autonomous zones for the Hindus, all 15 million of them, along with the Buddhists and Christians within the boundaries of Bangladesh,” he added.
Earlier on Monday, the Bangladesh government issued a formal diplomatic communication (note verbale) to India, seeking the extradition of their former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
“We sent a note verbal (diplomatic message) to the Indian government saying that the Bangladesh government wants her (Hasina) back here for judicial process,” foreign adviser Touhid Hossain told The Daily Star.
The interim government, headed by Muhammad Yunus, intends to utilise the extradition agreement with India to secure Sheikh Hasina’s return. She left Bangladesh following widespread student demonstrations. The Yunus government aims “to prosecute her for mass killings during the student-led protests in July and August”.