H. Res. 1402 

In the House of Representatives, U. S., 

September 23, 2008. 

Whereas the independent, sovereign republic of Bangladesh 

was first proclaimed on March 26, 1971, and the Constitution of Bangladesh, ratified in 1972 following a war 

of independence, established a democracy ruled by and 

for the people; 

Whereas Bangladesh has a population of 154,000,000 people 

and is the world’s third most populated Muslim country, 

and has been known to be a stable, moderate, democratic 

Muslim Nation; 

Whereas Bangladesh has held what the international community has viewed as three free and fair elections in 1991, 

1996, and 2001; 

Whereas in October 2006, as set up by the constitution, 

power was handed over to a caretaker government before 

the January 22, 2007, scheduled election; 

Whereas the caretaker Government of Bangladesh imposed a 

national state of emergency on January 11, 2007, that 

suspended fundamental rights guaranteed by the constitution and detained a large number of politicians and 

others on suspicion of involvement in corruption and 

other crimes; 
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•HRES 1402 EH 

Whereas the state of emergency has restricted media reporting and it has been reported that journalists have been 

harassed, detained, or threatened by the authorities; 

Whereas the anti-corruption campaign is creating institutions 

to fight rampant corruption throughout the government, 

including in the police and ports, but also has resulted 

in the reporting of human rights abuses; 

Whereas the caretaker Government of Bangladesh reportedly 

arrested 18,000 persons with questionable records since 

May 28, 2008, and subsequently released most of them; 

Whereas the Chief Adviser, Fakhruddin Ahmed, announced 

that elections will be held by the third week of December 

2008; 

Whereas the current political situation has been exacerbated 

by food prices that have doubled within the past year, 

compounding economic challenges for the people; 

Whereas Bangladesh has established an estimated 6 percent 

real growth rate in the last 4 years, and a 6.5 percent 

growth rate in 2007; 

Whereas the Grameen Bank, through microfinancing in Bangladesh, has been able to provide lending to 7,300,000 

stakeholders and has empowered women to control 97 

percent of the Bank, alongside other agencies in rural 

Bangladesh creating a new climate of economic growth 

and increasing social capital; 

Whereas the economic support extended by the United States 

has helped to create an opportunity for employment and 

growth in Bangladesh, with particular impact on the empowerment of women and strengthening the process of 

social moderation and modernization in Bangladesh; and 
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•HRES 1402 EH 

Whereas Bangladesh’s long-term political stability and economic progress are critical to the security of the South 

Asian region: Now, therefore, be it 

Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

(1) expresses its strong support to the restoration 

of democracy in Bangladesh so it will be able to address 

economic and political challenges, and urges all stakeholders to play a constructive and forward looking role 

to strengthen such a process; 

(2) appreciates the decision of the caretaker Government of Bangladesh to hold free, fair, credible, peaceful, and transparent elections by the third week of December 2008; 

(3) welcomes the decision of the Government of 

Bangladesh to hold dialogue with all political parties and 

other civil society organizations to create a congenial atmosphere for holding elections and to ensure participation of all political parties in that process; 

(4) urges all political parties to participate in the 

elections so that democratic governance can be maintained, which could continue fight against corruption 

and institutional and policy reforms; 

(5) calls on the Government of Bangladesh to lift 

the state of emergency and remove other restrictions on 

political activity to allow free and fair elections to occur; 
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•HRES 1402 EH 

(6) urges the caretaker Government of Bangladesh 

to complete a transparent voter registration process that 

will facilitate the enrollment of the maximum number of 

eligible voters to protect the voting rights of all eligible 

voters regardless of religious affiliations or ethnic background, to use all practical technical means of ensuring 

the security of the ballot, to prevent violence before and 

after elections, and to permit and facilitate international 

and domestic nongovernmental monitoring of the entire 

electoral process; 

(7) urges the caretaker Government of Bangladesh 

to invite foreign nationals to observe and monitor the 

December 2008 elections; 

(8) urges the Government of Bangladesh to ensure 

the due process and equal treatment under the rule of 

law for all suspects, witnesses, and detainees; 

(9) notes the initiatives of the caretaker Government of Bangladesh to eradicate corruption from all levels of government and society through institutional and 

policy reforms; 

(10) expresses concern at the reported abuse of 

human rights and urges the Government of Bangladesh 

to ensure human rights, freedom of speech, assembly, 

and association; 
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(11) urges the caretaker Government of Bangladesh 

to protect the rights of religious and ethnic minorities, 

particularly Hindus, Christians, Buddhists, Ahmadis, 

and non-Muslim tribal peoples; 

(12) urges the President to work toward the return 

of democracy to Bangladesh as a high priority of United 

States foreign policy and affirm the willingness of the 

United States to provide assistance; 

(13) urges the President to use the voice and vote 

of the United States in multilateral organizations to 

strengthen the rule of law and democracy in Bangladesh; 

and 

(14) urges the President to consider, upon completion of an internationally-accepted free and fair election, 

extending generous economic support to Bangladesh as 

an incentive. 

Attest: 

Clerk.