U.S. Congressman Gregory Meeks, the Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has called for concerted efforts to strengthen democratic institutions in Bangladesh, ensure the full rule of law and safeguard freedom of the media.
Speaking as the chief guest at an exchange of views with Bangladeshi expatriates in New York on the evening of September 28, the Democratic congressman expressed his hope that the situation in Bangladesh would return to normal. “I want Bangladesh to return to normal,” he said.
Focusing on the situation in Bangladesh, the influential Democratic lawmaker said everyone should work together to help fulfil the prospect or expectation that Democrats would secure majorities in both chambers of Congress in the November 3 elections.
“If I am given the responsibility of serving again as chairman of this committee, I will visit Bangladesh, personally observe the overall situation and, through Congress, be able to provide specific guidance to the administration,” he added.
In this connection, Congressman Meeks referred to a letter jointly signed by five members of Congress, including himself, which was sent to then-Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus on December 23 last year.
He said the letter had urged the creation of an environment conducive to holding a free, fair and broadly acceptable election with the participation of all political parties in Bangladesh. It had also called for demonstrating that the state machinery was performing its responsibilities impartially.
“We expressed our concerns and said that if the government bans the activities of political parties and revives a flawed International Crimes Tribunal, we do not believe the expectations of the people will be fulfilled,” he said.
Referring to President Trump’s move to bar CNN, Politico and MS NOW from the White House and Air Force One, Congressman Meeks expressed his dismay, saying that even in the United States, measures were being taken that amounted to an attempt to silence the media.
He said dissenting voices in the United States were being subjected to various forms of pressure and persecution. He also alleged that circumstances had been created in which citizenship could be revoked or green cards cancelled in an attempt to silence protests against injustice—something, he said, was never consistent with the values and principles of the United States.
Calling for unity among Bangladeshi Americans in the November 3 midterm elections to help Democrats secure majorities in both chambers of Congress, he said such a result would make it possible to take appropriate action against injustice, repression and persecution wherever they occurred, including in the United States and Bangladesh.
“Then we will be able to take appropriate action against injustice, repression and persecution wherever they are taking place in the United States, Bangladesh and elsewhere in the world,” he said.
Gregory Meeks, Chairman of the Queens County Democratic Party in New York, said, “I want Bangladesh to return to normal. If the Government of Bangladesh receives a letter bearing the letterhead of the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, it will certainly attach due importance to it. I promise that, if I become chairman again, I will visit Bangladesh.”
The exchange of views was organised with the assistance of Sector Commanders Forum-Muktijuddha ’71 and the Bangabandhu Foundation. It was chaired by Abdul Kader Miah, President of the Bangabandhu Foundation, and moderated by Dr. Dilip Nath, District Leader of the Queens Democratic Party.
Former Foreign Minister and former Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations Dr. A. K. Abdul Momen and former President of the National Press Club and former Member of Parliament Farida Yasmin spoke at the event, outlining their assessment of the overall situation in Bangladesh.
They alleged that since the interim government led by Dr. Muhammad Yunus assumed power following the events of August 5, 2024, people holding dissenting views had been subjected to severe repression and fabricated cases.
They alleged that leaders and activists of the Awami League at various levels, as well as members of religious minorities, had been subjected to killings and persecution, and that such incidents continued. They further alleged that Bangladesh had been turned into a haven for terrorism during the Yunus administration and that the situation had continued under the present government.
Both speakers said that following August 5, the Awami League, described by them as the country’s oldest and most popular political party, had been unlawfully banned. They also alleged that freedom fighters had been publicly humiliated and that hundreds of media professionals holding dissenting views had faced arrest, attacks, legal cases and dismissal.
They said the nation was now deeply distressed by what they described as the authoritarian conduct of those in power. They called, in the presence of Congressman Meeks, for the immediate withdrawal of the ban on the Awami League and for a midterm election. They also sought congressional intervention for the release of journalists detained in alleged murder cases and all political prisoners.
At the outset, Congressman Meeks, who was introduced as a staunch friend of Bangladesh and the Bangladeshi diaspora in the U.S. Congress, was presented with a traditional uttariya amid loud applause by the event’s chairman, Abdul Kader Miah.
The United States Bangabandhu Parishad, Sandwip Municipality Welfare Association and Haque Medical Office were co-organisers of the gathering.
Also present on the stage were Bangladesh Awami League central leaders and former State Minister Enamul Haque Shamim, Aminul Islam Ameen and Nazrul Islam Babu; Senior Vice-President of the Bangabandhu Foundation Engineer Md. Fazlul Haque; and Alhaj Abul Hashem, President of the Bangladesh Muslim Center in Brooklyn.
Among representatives from various professions and sections of the community were writer, columnist and editor Naem Nizam; veteran Democratic Party leader Morshed Alam; Ekattor Genocide Foundation founder and freedom fighter Dr. Pradip Ranjan Kar; Sheikh Kamal Smriti Parishad President and freedom fighter Dr. Masudul Hasan; Engineer Mohammad Ali Siddiqui; journalist Sajjad Hossain Sabuj, former Press Minister at the Bangladesh Embassy in Washington; Alim Khan Akash, CEO of Bishwabangla 24 TV; journalist Sultana Rahman; freedom fighter and journalist Lablu Ansar; Dr. Mahabubur Rahman Tuku, Chairman of the Editorial Board of Saptahik Jago Prohori; Sandwip Association Convener Sirajul Mawla; former Sandwip Association President Nazrul Islam Babul; Sandwip Municipality Welfare Association President Md. Zafarullah; Sandwip Education and Cultural Society President Mosharraf Hossain, Secretary Abdul Hamid and Treasurer Ahsan Ullah Saki; community leader Mobasher Hossain; freedom fighter Kadir Miah; and freedom fighter and businessman Saraf Sarkar.
Others in attendance included social organiser Sakhawat Ali; businessman and social organiser Ifzal Chowdhury; Chattogram Association General Secretary Ariful Islam Arif; Bauria Janakalyan Samity Adviser Abul Kashem; community leader Abdul Jalil; Afsar Mohammad; Abu Taher M. Rahman; Yasin Arafat Bappy; politician Baker Bhuiyan; and Imdad Chowdhury, among others. They were introduced by Bangabandhu Foundation Secretary Kamal Hossain Mithu.
In his closing remarks, Abdul Kader Miah expressed his deep gratitude to all those present and called upon everyone to set aside their differences and unite once again in the spirit of the Liberation War to free the motherland from what he described as misrule.
He said everyone should learn from the mistakes of the past and work together under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina to realise Bangabandhu’s unfinished dream of building a Sonar Bangla, adding that everyone should remain prepared to make whatever sacrifices were necessary to achieve that goal.
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