The United States has urged the Bangladesh government to ensure a fair and transparent legal process for all arrested individuals. It also called on the Bangladesh government to allow opposition members, media professionals and civil society representatives to participate meaningfully in the country’s democratic process and civic life. “We will continue to engage with the Bangladesh government to advance that point of view,” US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters at a regular briefing in Washington on January 30. New USAID-funded disaster shelter and school opens in Cox’s Bazar Though international observers described January 7 election in Bangladesh as “free and fair,” the US State Department spokesperson said they did not find the national polls to be free and fair. The US also expressed concerns over the arrest of political opposition members in the run-up to those elections. Miller said US will continue to engage with the Bangladesh government to advance democratic principles, which are key to ensuring peace and prosperity for all Bangladeshis. US says will continue to take steps to deepen partnership with Bangladesh

The United States shared the view with other observers that Sunday's (January 07, 2024) elections in Bangladesh "were not free or fair" and they regret that not all parties participated, the US State Department said. The United States remains concerned by the arrests of political opposition members and by reports of irregularities on elections day, said US State Department spokesperson Mathew Miller in Washington on Monday (January 08, 2024). Miller said the United States supports the people of Bangladesh and their aspirations for democracy, freedom of peaceful assembly, and freedom of expression. Read: No legitimate grounds to warrant economic sanctions against Bangladesh: BGMEA The United States, however, recognised that the Awami League won a majority of seats in the January 7, 2024 parliamentary elections, he said. "Looking ahead, the United States remains committed to partnering with Bangladesh to advance our shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific, to supporting human rights and civil society in Bangladesh, and to deepening our people-to-people and economic ties," said Miller. He said the United States condemned violence that took place during elections and in the months leading up to it. Read: Awami League not worried about any sanctions: Quader The US encouraged the government of Bangladesh to credibly investigate reports of violence and to hold perpetrators accountable, said the spokesperson. "We also urge all political parties to reject violence," Miller said. Read more: Bangladeshis did not get fullest range of voting options: UK on Sunday’s election "My read of this US readout on Bangladesh’s election is that the current US policy toward Dhaka will essentially remain in place-a continued strong focus on rights and democracy, but otherwise stay the course and keep pursuing deeper strategic partnership," said Michael Kugelman. "US government statement on Bangladesh elections acknowledges AL win, criticizes process, condemns violence, and looks forward to continued partnership," said Geoffrey Macdonald.

The United States has said it is aware of Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova's “deliberate mischaracterization” of US foreign policy and US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas’ meetings. “The United States does not support any political party in Bangladesh. Nor does the United States favor one political party over another,” a State Department spokesperson said on Saturday (November 25, 2023). The US State Department reiterated that they want what the Bangladeshi people want: free and fair elections conducted in a peaceful manner. USA will support Bangladesh after election: Momen To support that shared goal of free and fair elections conducted in a peaceful manner, the US embassy personnel engage and will continue to engage with the government, opposition, civil society, and other stakeholders to urge them to work together for the benefit of the Bangladeshi people, said the State Department spokesperson. Maria Zakharova, during a weekly briefing on November 22, said that Russia has spoken repeatedly about the attempts by the United States and its allies to influence the internal political process in Bangladesh, ostensibly under the banner of ensuring “transparency and inclusiveness” in the upcoming parliamentary election. Information has come to light regarding a meeting at the end of October between US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas and a high-ranking representative of the local opposition, according to the Russian side. They reportedly discussed plans to organize mass anti-government protests in the country during the meeting, the Russian side said. In particular, the American Ambassador “promised” the representative of the opposition information support in the event that the authorities use force against participants in “peaceful demonstrations.” These assurances were purportedly made on behalf of the embassies of the United States, Britain, Australia and several other countries, according to a Facebook post shared by the Russian Embassy in Dhaka. China's cooperation is vital in ending Russia-Ukraine war: French FM "How can these actions of the American Ambassador to Bangladesh be regarded? They can be seen as nothing less than gross interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state on the part of Washington and its satellites, demonstrating open disregard for the norms and rules enshrined in the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations," the Russian spokeswoman said. "On our part, we have no doubts regarding the ability of the Bangladeshi authorities to hold the parliamentary election scheduled for January 7, 2024, in full compliance with national legislation, independently, without the help of overseas well-wishers," said the Russian spokeswoman.

The United States has encouraged Bangladesh to “root out corrupt actors,” operating within its borders “fairly and impartially.” “Generally speaking, sanctions can be a tool to fight corruption,” US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters in a regular briefing in Washington on August 8. He said they have other tools as well, such as freezing assets and giving partner nations information so they can prosecute cases. Read: US prioritizing global anti-corruption efforts, to focus on business aspects in future: US official tells foreign secretary Responding to a question on demand for free and fair election, Miller said they have made it clear several times that the US supports free and fair elections in Bangladesh. “We’ve made that clear publicly. We’ve made that clear in conversations with the Bangladeshi Government, and that will continue to be our policy,” he said.  The US Department of State’s Coordinator on Global Anti-Corruption, Richard Nephew, echoed the same regarding sanctions to address corruption during his Bangladesh visit on August 6-8. Read: Bangladesh can draw more investment if corruption remains less prevalent: Peter Haas During his visit, Nephew met government officials, businesspersons, and civil society leaders to discuss how to fight the scourge of corruption. Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen, after his meeting with Nephew, said that Bangladesh laid emphasis on more transparency and accountability over issues involving money laundering, noting that in most cases Bangladesh does not get required feedback when it comes to mutual legal assistance. Read: Public Service Commission was plagued by corruption, depriving meritorious candidates during BNP-Jamaat govt: Sajeeb Wazed The US has invited Bangladesh to attend the 20th anniversary of the UN Convention Against Corruption in Atlanta in December this year. The foreign secretary said Bangladesh will take part in the meeting where the host US will seek renewed commitment from the participating countries or institutions to jointly tackle global corruption.

The United States has welcomed the Bangladesh government's decision to reform the Digital Security Act. “We welcome the Bangladesh government’s long-stated commitment to reform the law, to protect freedom of expression,” US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters at a regular briefing in Washington on August 7. Read: Cyber Security Act could be deadlier than DSA: Rizvi He said the US encourages the government of Bangladesh to give all stakeholders an opportunity to review and provide input on the new draft Cyber Security Act, to ensure that it meets international standards. “As we’ve previously stated, the Digital Security Act has been used to arrest, detain, and silence critics,” the US State Department spokesperson said. Read: TIB guardedly welcomes Cabinet’s decision to scrap DSA

The United States has reiterated that they support everyone’s right to freely exercise their role in a democratic society. "We oppose any restrictions on human rights," US Department of State Spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters during a regular media briefing on July 24. Read: Dhaka Metro Rail a symbol of Japan’s contributions to Bangladesh’s fast development: Nishimura Yasutoshi He said visa restrictions would apply to anyone who undermines the democratic election process in Bangladesh. "Actions that constitute undermining the democratic election process include vote rigging, voter intimidation, the use of violence to prevent people from exercising their rights to freedom of association and peaceful assembly, and the use of measures designed to prevent political parties, voters, civil society, or the media from disseminating their views," said the spokesperson. Read: EU Special Representative for Human Rights in Dhaka with ‘wide-ranging’ agenda Responding to another question, he said they do not take a position with respect to any political party in Bangladesh or in other countries. "But we believe that Bangladesh and all countries throughout the world should have free and fair elections," US Department of State Spokesperson Miller said. Read: Transforming Global Food Systems: $400 billion needed per year while doing nothing could cost $12 trillion

The United States has said it engages directly with Bangladeshi officials to discuss "shared priorities" for the two countries. Talking to reporters during a regular briefing at the US State Department on July 18, its Spokesperson Matthew Miller said US Under Secretary Uzra Zeya emphasized in her trip the importance of the United States and Bangladesh working together to achieve Bangladesh’s goal of "free and fair elections" as well as the crucial role of civil society, human rights defenders, journalists, and labor activists, and accountability for human rights abuses.  "These are important issues in our bilateral relationship," he said, adding that senior officials from the United States regularly travel to Bangladesh. This type of political violence has no place in democratic elections: US State Dept on Hero Alam assault  Miller said the US Under Secretary also emphasized the importance of continuing to support the Rohingya refugees.  She visited Rohingya refugees as well as humanitarian partners and Bangladesh senior government officials in Cox’s Bazar and announced $74 million in additional humanitarian assistance to support Myanmar and Bangladesh response efforts.  US State Department ‘deeply concerned over use of Digital Security Act’ "I will just say finally that the United States is dedicated to partnering with the government and civil society to address the scourge of human trafficking in the region," Miller said. US Under Secretary Uzra Zeya announces $1m State Dept grant for child victims of trafficking

The United States has said holding free and fair elections in Bangladesh is a "shared desire" of the two friendly countries.  "It’s a desire that we share as a friend and partner of Bangladesh for over 50 years," said US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller in a regular briefing at the State Department on Monday (July 10, 2023).  He noted that the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, has repeatedly stated her own commitment to free and fair elections.   Read: Momen welcomes foreign observers during maiden interaction with British envoy "I don’t know why anyone would object to us calling for free and fair elections," Miller said, apparently referring to statements that came from Russia, China and Iranian media.   Miller reiterated that they do not support one political party over the other. "We support a genuine democratic process." "We don’t consider it interference in internal affairs when other countries raise our elections process with us. We welcome those discussions as an opportunity to strengthen our democracy, and we don’t know why any other countries would object," he added. Read: Dialogues between parties not held in other countries, including in the US: Momen Asked whether US Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights Uzra Zeya and Assistant Secretary Donald Lu will engage with the ruling party and the opposition party BNP, Miller said she will meet with senior government officials to discuss shared humanitarian concerns, including the Rohingya refugee crisis, labor issues, human rights, free and fair elections, and combating trafficking in persons.   Key Engagements US Under Secretary Zeya is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka this evening. She is likely to visit the Rohingya camp in Cox’s Bazar on Wednesday as the Rohingya issue remains one of the top priorities of her visit, an official told UNB. She said her visit is aimed at advancing “shared solutions” to global challenges; contribute to a more free, open, secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific; and bolster humanitarian support for refugees and host communities throughout the region. Read: US Under Secretary Uzra Zeya holds "productive" meeting with Ambassador Imran; looks forward to deepening partnership She is likely to meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Private Industries and Investment Adviser Salman F Rahman apart from her meetings with Law and Home Ministers and Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen, a diplomatic source told UNB. US Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu and Deputy Assistant Administrator of the Bureau for Asia, USAID Änjali Kaur will be part of the delegation, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Read: Not endorsing one political party vs another in Bangladesh: US State Dept says Zeya leads global diplomatic efforts to strengthen democracy, advance universal human rights, support refugees and humanitarian relief, promote rule of law and counternarcotics cooperation, fight corruption and intolerance, prevent armed conflict, and eliminate human trafficking.

The U.S. has approved more arms sales to Taiwan, including $619 million worth of munitions for F-16 fighter jets, in a decision likely to be yet another point of friction between the U.S. and China, which claims the island as its own territory. The State Department said in a statement Wednesday night it had approved sales of missiles to be used with the F-16s as well as equipment to support the missiles. That includes AGM-88 anti-radiation missiles, as well as air-to-air missiles and launchers. Taiwan is unofficially supported by the U.S. and has a fleet of F-16s bought from the U.S. Tensions between China and the U.S. are at their highest level in years over American support for the self-governed island, including visits by high-ranking politicians, and a host of other issues, including a suspected Chinese spy balloon that crossed the U.S. before being shot down last month. China considers Taiwan part of its territory to be brought under its control by force if necessary, and has been stepping up its military and diplomatic harassment. The sides split amid civil war in 1949, and China’s authoritarian Communist Party has never held sway over the island. The United States is Taiwan’s main supplier of military equipment, and China has objected to past sales with sanctions and other actions. Once arms sales are approved, delivering them can take years, and Taiwan has cited consistent delays in receiving weapons it has purchased. The arms will be provided by Raytheon Missiles and Defense and Lockheed Martin Corporation.  

The United States has said promoting respect for human rights is not something they can do alone but is best accomplished working with their allies and partners across the globe, including Bangladesh.   The US State Department released the 2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, an annual report required by U.S. law on Tuesday.   Guided by the United Nations’ Universal Declarations on Human Rights and subsequent human rights treaties, the country reports do not draw legal conclusions, rate countries, or declare whether they failed to meet standards. The United States said it is committed to a world in which human rights are protected, their defenders are celebrated, and those who commit human rights abuses are held accountable. As the United States and Bangladesh discuss common challenges, promoting democracy, good governance, and human rights will remain paramount, as discussed by Secretary of State Blinken and Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen in their February 21 phone call.   The United States and Bangladesh remain partners in addressing these matters together, said the US Embassy in Dhaka on Wednesday. US President Joe Biden is committed to a foreign policy that unites our democratic values with our diplomatic leadership, and one that is centered on the defense of democracy and the protection of human rights.