Political violence has no place in democratic elections: US

The US encourages Bangladesh government to investigate any reports of violence thoroughly, transparently, and impartially, and to hold the perpetrators of violence to account, said the US State Department spokesperson.

At a briefing in Washington yesterday, a journalist asked Spokesperson Matthew Miller about the beating of independent candidate Ashraful Alom, popularly known as Hero Alom, by people wearing the symbols of ruling Awami League candidate Mohammad Arafat during the Dhaka-17 by-elections.

"I would say that this type of political violence has no place in democratic elections," Miller also said about the issue. He added that they would continue to monitor the elections closely.

On May 24 this year, Washington announced that it would impose visa restrictions on individuals and their immediate family members "if they are responsible for, or complicit in, undermining the democratic election process in Bangladesh".

Earlier, on December 10, 2021, the US imposed sanctions on Rab and seven current and former top officials of Rab.

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