<div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>US Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu has emphasised the government and the opposition “working together peacefully” to ensure the freedom of assembly as Bangladesh moves towards the next national election.</b></span><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“We as Americans, we will condemn violence when we see it – if it is on the part of the opposition, or it is on the part of government security forces. At the same time, we are going to focus on whether there is any intimidation during the election… we will say this publicly,” he told Channel 24 in an interview before wrapping up his visit on Sunday.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Lu referred to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s commitment to a fair election and said US also wants a free and fair election without “violence and intimidation.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Sunday conveyed to the United States that they, as a government, want a “free, fair, transparent and credible” election and there should be no doubt about that.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Lu also expressed US’ commitment to upholding democracy and human rights. “We will speak when we see problems and when we can offer suggestions. We will stand up for freedom of speech, freedom of expression. And we look forward to working very closely with our partners here in Bangladesh,” he told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Responding to a question, the US Assistant Secretary told Channel 24 that they did not designate more individuals from the Rab to face individual sanctions. “We did not do that because we recognize the progress being made by the government and by the Rab itself.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Talking to reporters at MoFA, Lu said they had “quite a good discussion” about the Rab. “If you have seen the statement this week by the Human Rights Watch, they recognised and we recognised tremendous progress in the area of reducing extrajudicial killings by the Rab,” he said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On the security of diplomats, Lu said they take the security of Bangladeshi diplomats in the US very seriously.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“We spend a lot of time making sure that they are safe. We expect the same treatment from Bangladesh,” he said, adding that he was given assurance from every meeting he attended during his Bangladesh visit.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The United States has also said civil society voices in every country are crucial to upholding people’s right to freedom and dignity.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Assistant Secretary Donald Lu and US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas hosted a dinner on Sunday night and listened to the work of human rights advocates in Bangladesh.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Lu left Dhaka early Monday (2am), wrapping up his quick visit with a series of meetings. UNB</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>