US Deputy Asst Secy Afreen Akhter calls for allowing space for press, civil society to ensure free polls
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Free and fair elections are not just about the way elections are conducted on the day itself, but allowing space for civil society for media and for all of those actors to engage freely in the democratic process in these months before the election, said visiting US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Afreen Akhter.
Talking to the media after her visit to the Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar, Ms Afreen said that during her discussions with Bangladeshi officials, she stressed the importance of free and fair elections in Bangladesh that are peaceful.
“We believe that it's incredibly important that elections are conducted in a free, fair and peaceful manner in support of the prime minister’s stated commitment to this goal”.
She visited the refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar and met with a range of UN officials.
“I just want to thank the Bangladeshi Government for its incredible generosity and hosting a million refugees in a very small and populated country. We cannot thank you enough. We know that it's an incredible strain, and we really appreciate your generosity”.
She emphasised that the United States is the single largest donor by far when it comes to supporting Rohingya refugees and has provided more than 2.2 billion to date since 2017.
“We have outpaced anyone else in our support for Bangladesh in their response to this crisis”.
She said any kind of repatriation should be voluntary, should be dignified, and should be safe, and that there should not be any repatriation by force.
“Because, unfortunately, the conditions in Myanmar are not conducive to repatriation at this time, the Burmese (Myanmar) Government has not agreed to allow humanitarian access to the camps and they've not allowed Rohingya to settle in villages of their choice or in their home,” she argued.
“And so we really don't think conditions at this time are right. But we will continue to work closely with Bangladesh and the international community to find a long-term solution that includes eventual repatriation,” she said adding that simultaneously the US would continue to provide humanitarian support.