BD Correspondent: Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) senior leader Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury on Saturday hailed the Bangladesh part of US State Department’s annual country report on human rights practices, saying it revealed what is there on people’s mind.

“The (US) report spoke people’s mind. It represented what Bangladeshi people are holding in their mind. The entire world has now realised what actually happened in Bangladesh,” he said.

The BNP leader came up with the remarks while talking to reporters after placing wreaths at BNP founder Ziaur Rahman’s grave together with the newly-formed convening committee members of Agriculturists Association of Bangladesh.

The US 2018 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices released on March 13 said unlawful or political killings, forced disappearances, life-threatening prison conditions, freedom of speech limitations, negative government pressure on and fear of reprisal by press and media, and impunity for security force abuses were the most significant human rights problems in Bangladesh last year.

On elections and political participation, the report termed the December-30 parliamentary elections “lopsided” and said it was considered to be marred by irregularities, including ballot-box stuffing and intimidation of opposition polling agents and voters.

Khosru, a BNP standing committee member, said the US report also manifested the deep worry of the global democratic countries about the Bangladesh’s current situation.

He said all the democratic countries are agreed with the US report’s observations about Bangladesh’s 11th parliamentary election.

The BNP leader also claimed that the international community wants the December-30 election to be annulled.

Khosru said the US report presented the true senior of Bangladesh’s human right situation, the rule of law, judiciary and culture of impunity.

He said Bangladesh’s image in the international arena is being dented seriously due to the prevailing situation of the country. “The entire nation must get united to overcome it.”