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The United States has announced a new visa policy to assist in the implementation of the promises Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has made to hold free and fair parliamentary elections in Bangladesh.
The US embassy in Dhaka issued a statement on its website on the night of Wednesday (May 24).
US Secretary Antony Blinken announced the new visa policy to “ensure the upcoming general elections in Bangladesh become free, fair and peaceful.”
The Bangladesh government was informed about the new visa policy on May 3, US Secretary of State Blinken said in a press statement yesterday.
“Today, I am announcing a new visa policy under Section 212(a)(3)(C) (“3C”) of the Immigration and Nationality Act to support Bangladesh’s goal of holding free, fair, and peaceful national elections. Under this policy, the United States will be able to restrict the issuance of visas for any Bangladeshi individual, believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, undermining the democratic election process in Bangladesh,” he said.
This includes current and former Bangladeshi officials, members of pro-government and opposition political parties, and members of law enforcement, the judiciary, and security services. The United States notified the Bangladeshi government of this decision on May 3, 2023.
Actions that undermine the democratic election process include vote rigging, voter intimidation, the use of violence to prevent people from exercising their right to freedoms 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, Blinken said.
“The holding of free and fair elections is the responsibility of everyone—voters, political parties, the government, the security forces, civil society, and the media. I am announcing this policy to lend our support to all those seeking to advance democracy in Bangladesh,” he added.