International News

UNITED NATIONS, (APP): UN Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon is concerned about the targeted violence in Bangladesh
against journalists, bloggers, and individuals and calls for
steps to put an end to the killings and harassment, his
spokesman has said.
“We would like to see the (Bangladesh) Government create an
atmosphere in which journalists can operate freely,” Spokesman
Stephane Dujarric said in response to a question about the
“lawlessness” in the South Asian country at the regular noon
briefing on Friday.
Last week, the spokesman said the UN chief also voiced his
concern over the execution of opposition Jamaat-e-Islami leader
Motiur Rahman Nizami.
In a May 9 editorial, ‘Bangladesh’s Descent into Lawlessness’,
The New York Times blames the ongoing violence on the ‘bitter
rivalry’ between the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s
ruling Awami League Party and the opposition parties.
“The government must protect those who could be targets and
restore democratic freedoms and faith in the rule of law,” the
Times said. “Failing to do so will accelerate the slide into
lawlessness.”