The United States will not grant visas to individuals and family members who obstructed the electoral process in Bangladesh

State Minister Anthony Blinken said that the United States wants fair elections in Bangladesh, and visa restrictions will be imposed on individuals and family members responsible for obstructing Bangladesh’s democratic election process.

This information was disclosed in a statement given on the country’s official website. The statement is exactly as follows:

U.S. Department of State

Office of the Spokesperson

Statement by Secretary Anthony J. Blinken

May 24, 2023

Announcement of visa policy to encourage democratic elections in Bangladesh

Today, to support the goal of making the upcoming national elections in Bangladesh free, fair and peaceful, I am announcing a new visa policy under section 212(a)(3)(C) (“3C”) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Under this policy, the United States would be able to impose visa restrictions on any Bangladeshi individual deemed responsible or involved in obstructing Bangladesh’s democratic election process. These include current and former Bangladeshi officials/employees, members of pro-government and opposition political parties, and members of the law enforcement, judiciary and security forces. The United States informed the government of Bangladesh about this decision on May 3, 2023.

Acts that obstruct the democratic election process include: vote rigging, voter intimidation, preventing people from exercising their right to freedom of association and peaceful assembly through violence, and taking various measures to promote their views to political parties, voters, civil society or the media. prevent from

Free and fair elections are the responsibility of everyone including voters, political parties, government, security forces, civil society and the media. I announce this policy to extend our support to all those who want to advance democracy in Bangladesh.

(Dhaka Times/25 May/KM)