The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday summoned UN resident coordinator in Dhaka Gwyn Lewis for her tweet on a recent attack on Dhaka-17 by-election independent candidate Ashraful Hossain Alam, also known as Hero Alam, in Dhaka.
Inspector general of missions Asad Alam Siam summoned the UN resident coordinator at the Foreign Service Academy to express ‘dissatisfaction over her tweet,’ a senior official of the ministry confirmed.
As Gwyn was staying outside on leave, UNICEF representative Sheldon Yett called on the inspector general of missions, who conveyed Bangladesh’s position regarding her tweet, expressing dissatisfaction since it was a political issue, the official added.
‘The UN in Bangladesh is concerned over the attack on independent MP candidate Ashraful Alam during the Dhaka-17 by-poll. The fundamental human right of everyone to participate in elections without violence should be guaranteed and protected,’ UN resident coordinator in Dhaka, Gwyn Lewis, tweeted on Tuesday.
Gwyn Lewis also posted a news item with a photo of the attack on Hero Alam.
Hero Alam was beaten reportedly by ruling Awami League activists in the presence of the police at the Banani Bidyaniketan School polling centre during Monday’s by-election in Dhaka on July 17.
Earlier on Wednesday, 12 western countries including the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada and the Delegation of European Union to Bangladesh condemned the attack on Dhaka-17 constituency independent candidate Hero Alam during the polling.
In a joint statement signed by the embassies/the high commissions of the countries and the EU delegation in Dhaka, they also called for a full investigation into the incident and bringing the perpetrators to justice, saying that violence had no place in the democratic process.
‘We condemn the July 17 attack on Dhaka-17 constituency candidate Ashraful Alam, popularly known as Hero Alam. Violence has no place in the democratic process. We call for a full investigation and accountability for the perpetrators,’ said the statement.
It mentioned that everyone involved in the upcoming elections should ensure that they were free, fair and peaceful.
The signatories to the statement included the embassies/high commissions of Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
