In the margins of the Ministerial Meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum (see EUROPE 13463/13), the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, held talks with the representative of Bangladesh and former Foreign Minister, Mr A.K. Abdul Momen on 27 July to express the EU’s deep concern at the announcement of a “shoot on sight policy” and the illegal executions carried out by the Bangladeshi authorities in recent days.
In a press release issued by the European External Action Service on Tuesday 30 July, Mr Borrell insisted that the numerous cases of excessive use of force by law enforcement - in particular against demonstrators protesting the reintroduction of quotas for recruitment to the civil service (see EUROPE 13458/27) - should be thoroughly investigated.
“We will follow closely the actions of the authorities in the context of this crisis and, with the fundamentals of EU-Bangladesh relations in mind, expect all human rights to be fully respected”, concluded Mr Borrell. (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)