Mushfiqul Fazal, UN correspondent
Terming the letter sent by the UN secretary general António Guterres to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as a regular job, Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN secretary general, on Monday said the United Nations’ stance regarding elections and human rights violation remains unchanged.
He said this at a briefing at the UN Headquarters when this correspondent asked whether the UN chief disregarded human rights violations and sham elections in Bangladesh while congratulating Sheikh Hasina for renewing state power.
Does not it raise concerns about the UN’s previous stance and the statements from its human rights high commissioner on the non-democratic nature of the elections, the correspondent questioned Dujarric.
“No. He (secretary general) sent a letter to the prime minister as he does to heads of governments or states when they’re re-elected,” replied the spokesperson.
Regarding the UN’s stance on Bangladesh, Dujarric said, “What we have said in the past from this podium, what the human rights high commissioner has said remains unchanged.”
MR/
