TBT Report: In a letter signed by Lilaraj Gour Das Brahmachari and Darubrama Jagannath Das Brahmachari, the president and general secretary of ISKCON Prabartak Sri Krishna Mandir has countered a joint statement made by six US congressmen regarding the human rights situation in Bangladesh. The congressmen claimed that minority communities in the country were facing intimidation under the current government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
In their response, the ISKCON communities, including leaders from other minority communities, academics, and anti-war crimes campaigners, called for the congressmen to retract the false information presented in their letter. They expressed concerns that the inaccurate claims in the congressmen’s letter not only undermined their credibility on minority rights in Bangladesh but also put the security and safety of the Bangladeshi Americans who signed the statement at risk.
The letter emphasized that the false statements made by the US congressmen would worsen the plight of minorities in Bangladesh. Their statement came after leaders from the Hindu, Christian, and Buddhist communities in Bangladesh denounced the congressmen’s letter as false and misleading, as it called for sanctions against the Bangladesh government.
The six congressmen named in the letter—Bob Good, Scott Perry, Barry Moore, Tim Burchett, Warren Davidson, and Keith Self—asserted in their letter that the Hindu population had been halved under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s rule. They also accused her government of persecuting the Christian minority through acts such as burning and looting places of worship, imprisoning pastors, and breaking up families during religious conversions.
The congressmen, who are members of the House of Representatives, urged immediate action to stop human rights abuses by the Bangladesh government and ensure free and fair parliamentary elections scheduled for the upcoming fall.
The letter also criticized the congressmen for presenting fabricated information regarding the persecution of Christians under the current government. It expressed concerns that vested groups responsible for minority persecution might be trying to manipulate US lawmakers with false information in order to gain an advantage in the upcoming national election.
Leaders from various religious communities in Bangladesh, including Cardinal Archbishop Patrick D’Rozario representing the Christian community, have rejected the congressmen’s claims, stating that the incumbent government has been supportive of their respective communities.
