Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said that those who had burnt and killed people in the name of movement are now engaged in covert killings.
“Such killings are being carried out in a planned way to destabilise the country targeting people, including imams and priests,” she said.
Hasina was speaking at the fourth meeting of the Fast Track Project monitoring committee in Dhaka yesterday.
Strongly denouncing the killings, Hasina said she does not want such incidents to happen anymore in Bangladesh.
“Law enforcement agencies have been working to this end … I hope they’ll be able to hunt down the criminals after investigations.
“These people who are carrying out such killings do not believe in any religion and boundary. The militants have no religion and boundary,” she said.
On Monday night, two people, including USAID staff Xulhaz Mannan, 32, and his friend Mahbub Tonoy, 25, were hacked to death in their apartment in the capital Dhaka.
Assailants identifying themselves as courier service deliverymen entered the flat and hacked Xulhaz, and Tonoy.
Meanwhile, the European Union (EU), France and Australia have joined other countries in condemning the recent killings in Bangladesh and urged the authorities to quickly investigate the murders and bring the culprits behind the killings to
justice.
“Thorough investigations into these killings need to take place to ensure those responsible are brought to justice,” said the spokesperson of European External Action Service (EEAS) in a statement from Brussels.
With the killings of a law student on April 6 and of a professor on April 23, this is already the third violent attack in Bangladesh in less than a month, the EU observed.
“The EU expects the government of Bangladesh to ensure freedom of expression as a fundamental human right and to promote respect,” said the spokesperson mentioning that it is also essential to ensure the protection and safety of all citizens.
The EU expressed their deepest condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.
France, in a separate statement, also condemned the recent killings in Bangladesh and urged the authorities to bring the culprits behind the killings to justice.
“The culprits must be brought to justice,” France said saying it stands aside Bangladesh in its fight against terrorism.
France condemned the murders of Professor Rezaul Karim Siddiquee, Hindu priest Paramananda Roy and two LGBT rights defenders, Xulhaz
Mannan and Mahbub Tonoy.
“These outrageous killings come in addition to a series of murders occurring in Bangladesh these last months against civil society members, rights defenders and representatives of religious minorities,” read the statement distributed by the French embassy in Dhaka
yesterday.
Australia also sought swift investigation into these murders condemned the recent murders in Bangladesh. “We trust these acts will be investigated swiftly and that those responsible will face justice,” said Australian High Commissioner in Dhaka Greg Wilcock.
The High Commissioner said Australia stands with Bangladesh as they stand with other international partners, in opposing intolerance and violent extremism.
In a statement on recent events in Bangladesh, the High Commissioner said the victims were respected citizens.
Earlier, the United Nations, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, Norway, USAID, Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) also condemned the recent killings and sought prompt and effective investigations into the murders.