Staff Reporter :
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal has outright rejected the European Union’s report on the 12th parliamentary poll which stated that the election had failed to meet some important international democratic standards.
He further said that there were no political prisoners in the jail rather they were BNP activists who had attacked the residence of the Chief Justice on October 28 last year.
The minister said this while addressing as the Chief Guest at the Police Memorial Day 2024 held at the Police Staff College in Mirpur on Saturday.
Claiming that the general election was free and fair, he said, “The security forces have impartially supported the Election Commission.
Political big shots and many other ministers have been defeated in the election. So we can clearly say that there was no rigging in the election.”
“However, they (BNP) are attempting to attract the attention of foreigners by disseminating false information after the election.
Yet, foreign observers who came for election monitoring have stated that the election in Bangladesh was conducted fairly. Two organisations in the United States have also affirmed that the election was fair,” the minister said.
In response to another question, the minister said, “BNP is spreading misinformation. How they (EU) are getting confused is not our concern. We can clearly say that what they (EU) are saying has not happened in the country.”
In response to a question, he said, “We do not have any political prisoners. Individuals implicated in the attack on the chief justice’s residence, as well as policemen and Ansar members, are currently incarcerated.
Legal measures have been taken following their identification through video footage analysis.”
The EU in its full report said that the parliamentary election failed to meet international democratic standards as civil and political rights were restricted during the electoral process.
Opposition activities were curtailed through mass arrests and judicial intervention, while voters’ freedom to choose candidates was unrecognised.
Additionally, both mass media and civil society’s rights to speech were curtailed, contributing to an environment of limited expression, the report said.
The EU report further mentioned that the election took place in an extremely polarised atmosphere and lacked genuine competition, particularly as the BNP boycotted the election.
Moreover, a thorough investigation into election irregularities was not conducted, further raising concerns about the integrity of the electoral process, it added.
