Congressman Krishnamoorthi Writes Letter Urging Secretary of State Blinken To Engage With Bangladesh’s Government To End Outbreaks Of Violence, Including The Targeting Of Hindus

SCHAUMBURG, IL - Yesterday, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi wrote to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to urge him to engage directly with the interim government of Bangladesh to end the recent outbreaks of violence, including the targeting of Hindus, and to bring those responsible to justice. The text of Congressman Krishnamoorthi's letter follows below and a copy of the letter is available here.

August 8, 2024

The Honorable Antony Blinken

Secretary, United States Department of State

Washington, DC 20520

Dear Secretary Blinken:

I am writing to you regarding the fluid situation in Bangladesh and the rise of coordinated anti-Hindu violence in the wake of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's resignation. Now that Muhammad Yunus has been sworn in as Chief Adviser for the interim government, it is of utmost urgency that the United States engage with his government for the purposes of both bringing the violence to an end and the perpetrators to justice.

Credible eyewitness reports of the anti-Hindu attacks in the New York Times, Times of India, BBC, Reuters among other media outlets demonstrate the scale of the attacks. The New York Times reports attacks throughout multiple neighborhoods of the capital, Dhaka, as well as most large cities and numerous districts. The New York Times reported "60 killed"^[1] in violence following Hasina's resignation, while the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council informed Reuters "that 45 out of 64 districts in the country had seen the targeting of mostly Hindu homes, businesses or temples this week."^[2] Reuters also has reported hundreds of Hindus attempting to flee Bangladesh into India as a result of the religious violence.

Sadly, this is not the first time that anti-government protests in Bangladesh have metastasized into anti-Hindu violence. The anti-Hindu riots in October 2021 left 9 people dead amidst the destruction of hundreds of homes, businesses and temples. In 2017, more than 107 Hindus were killed and 37 "disappeared" according to Bangladesh Jatiya Hindu Mohajote^[3] The anti-Hindu riots of 2013, following the International Crimes Tribunal conviction of Jamaat-e-Islami leader Delwar Sayeedi for war crimes, were especially destructive.

Instability in this region, fueled by religious intolerance and violence, is clearly not in the interest of the United States or our allies. I urge you engage directly with Chief Adviser Yunus' government and exert our influence to help his government end the violence and bring those responsible to justice.

Sincerely,

Raja Krishnamoorthi

Member of Congress

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