DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENT

Russia has termed the letters issued by American and European politicians urging free and fair polls in Bangladesh “neocolonialism” and “blatant interference” in the internal affairs of the country.

“We have taken note of certain European and American politicians publishing letters calling for ‘free and fair’ elections in Bangladesh,” according to a verified Twitter account of the Russian foreign ministry, which quoted its spokeswoman as saying.

“…This is #neocolonialism and yet another attempt at blatant interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state,” it said yesterday.

The national election in Bangladesh is slated for January next year.

The statement comes when Bangladesh faces pressures ahead of the next parliamentary elections. The ruling Awami League and BNP are also at loggerheads over the polls-time government.

The US on May 24 announced visa restrictions on individuals and their immediate family members if they are responsible for, or complicit in, undermining the democratic election process in Bangladesh.

The US has been critical of the elections of 2018 and 2014, citing alleged vote rigging and irregularities.

On May 25, six US Republican congressmen wrote to US President Joe Biden, calling for urgent actions to stop the “human rights abuses” by the Bangladesh government and “give the people of Bangladesh the best possible chance for free and fair parliamentary elections”.

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