Washington DC: Johnnie Moore, former Commissioner of the US Fee on Worldwide Spiritual Freedom (USCIRF), has slammed the Bangladesh interim authorities over the state of affairs of Hindus and different minorities in Bangladesh, saying “there is not a minority within the nation that does not really feel below menace proper now” and that “Muhammad Yunus is failing.”
In an interview with ANI, Moore mentioned it’s the authorities’s first accountability to guard these below menace. He additionally mentioned that it is a second of “existential menace not just for the minorities of Bangladesh however for the whole nation”.
Moore criticised the arrest of priest Chinmoy Krishna Das by Bangladesh Police and mentioned notion amongst minorities is “if they will go after him, they will go after any of us”.
The previous USCIRF Commissioner mentioned the worldwide Christian neighborhood stands with the Hindu neighborhood in Bangladesh.
“Bangladesh is not only a Muslim nation. It is a Muslim-majority nation that has many, many minorities. There is not a minority within the nation that does not really feel below menace proper now. That is been globally evident in latest days as this high-profile arrest has taken place of not only a chief of the Hindu Bangladeshi neighborhood, however actually a really critical non secular determine. I believe the notion is that if they will go after him, they will go after any of us. I wish to be crystal clear, that the worldwide Christian neighborhood stands with the Hindu neighborhood in Bangladesh. It’s the first accountability of a authorities to guard these below menace. The non secular minorities of Bangladesh are actually feeling it now and so they deserve our assist,” he mentioned.
“We’re undecided who’s actually doing this, however let me simply say, the way in which I see it, Muhammad Yunus is failing. That is what’s occurring in Bangladesh now. As, the chief of the nation, because the interim chief of the nation, there aren’t any aspirations for the Bangladeshi individuals. If you cannot handle a really, quite simple element of civil society, which is it’s a must to defend individuals, individuals must be secure. If the rule of legislation turns into so inefficient that as a substitute of getting due course of, a lawyer is killed. That is unbelievable, I used to be astonished by the response of Mr Yunus within the Bangladeshi authorities. They’re saying that is exaggerated. They’re saying that this is not as large a deal because it appears,” he added.
Moore mentioned the visuals and the reviews which are popping out of Bangladesh present that how a Hindu priest was first arrested then he was denied bail by the native courtroom.
“Then the lawyer defending the priest was killed amid protests outdoors the courtroom the place the lawyer was hacked to dying by protesters, dragging him out of his chamber. It is grow to be a significant rallying level within the nation,” Moore mentioned.
“Because the chief of the nation, because the interim chief of the nation, there aren’t any aspirations for the Bangladeshi individuals if you cannot handle a really, quite simple element of civil society, which is it’s a must to defend individuals. Individuals must be secure. And also you definitely, you definitely can’t have a vibrant democratic nation…if the rule of legal guidelines turns into so inefficient that as a substitute of getting due course of, a lawyer is killed,” he added.
Moore additionally expressed concern over Bangladesh’s Legal professional Basic’s push to take away the phrase ‘Secular’ from the structure amid rising assaults on non secular minorities.
“Bangladesh ought to ask for recommendation from India and the US. These are extremely pluralistic international locations that regardless of plenty of non secular competitors individuals have discovered a method to handle it. Not completely. None of our international locations are excellent. We make tons and plenty of errors. However Bangladesh ought to ask for some assist. However secondly, you may’t make these guarantees and never preserve them. The second factor they should do is take what’s occurring critically,” he mentioned.
“The assertion that got here formally from Mohammed Yunus and the federal government of Bangladesh was in response to it – they diminished it. That is not what a pacesetter does. A frontrunner takes points like this critically… I am afraid that this error might produce other consequential results. The excellent news is it is not too late to repair it… I am sorry to say this, however we’re discovering lots world wide, plenty of international locations which are utilizing the time period democracy however aren’t really instituting its values,” he added.
Muhammad Yunus took over as interim chief of Bangladesh in August this yr.
The Worldwide Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) additionally expressed solidarity with Chinmoy Krishna Das, who was arrested on fees of sedition for allegedly elevating a flag on a stand displaying Bangladesh’s nationwide flag.
Moore mentioned the way in which the disaster regarding minorities is being dealt with by Bangladesh authorities poses danger of denying the Bangladeshi individuals all the advantages that may come from being in an in depth relationship with India which is “an financial, technological and political powerhouse”.
