The Bangladesh government has said that the July 19 joint statement issued by 13 diplomatic missions, comprising the U.S., the UK, Germany, France, Canada, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the European Union, was a “violation” of diplomatic norms and urged the missions involved not to engage in the expression of “non-diplomatic” behaviors.
At a press briefing at the Foreign Service Academy, Shahriar Alam, the State Minister for Foreign Affairs, said, “We called the ambassadors who issued a joint statement to the media in violation of diplomatic norms. We have expressed our displeasure about their behavior beyond diplomatic etiquette.”
The government of Bangladesh had invited the 13 missions to the State Guest House Padma in Dhaka to discuss the issue raised and express their displeasure for their conduct.
At the meeting, Alam stated that through the entire voting process, Alom failed to make any report to either the police or the public about his alleged travails but rather waited until the end of voting. He further stated that other candidates who ran for office did not complain about any assaults.
For this reason, Alam argued that if it were true, then the attack might have been an “isolated incident.”
He then wondered why 13 diplomats chose to issue a joint statement on the issue.
“So the way a handful of diplomats have presented a last-minute isolated incident at one center never reflects the peaceful nature of the election. While giving a quick response, they did not give importance to the objectivity of their assessment,” He said.
The joint statement was issued by 13 diplomatic missions following an attack on Ashraful Alom, also known as Hero Alom. Alom was an independent candidate in Bangladesh’s parliamentary election and was attacked outside his polling unit in Binani, the Bangladesh capital.
In the joint statement, the 13 diplomatic missions called upon the Bangladesh government to conduct an investigation into the matter and bring the perpetrators to justice.
Some part of the statement says, “Violence has no place in the democratic process. We call for a full investigation and accountability for the perpetrators. Everyone involved in the upcoming elections should ensure that they are free, fair, and peaceful.”
In reaction to the statement, Alam said, “Even then, in the statement, these diplomats have called for legal action, which is unwarranted and unnecessary.”
It remains to be seen how the Bangladesh government would handle what it perceives as a clear neglect of the rules of diplomatic engagement by the 13 diplomatic missions, as enshrined in Article 41 (1) of the United Nations Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961.
