EuroParl resolution unwanted, driven by misinformation: Inu

The European Parliament has been driven by misinformation in its criticism of the Bangladesh government, Information Minister Hasanul Huq Inu says.

The resolution adopted by the European Parliament on Thursday was 'unwanted and a result of lack of knowledge’, he said on Friday.

The Members of European Paliament asked Bangladesh to stop providing ‘impunity’ to the Rapid Action Battalion for its alleged human rights violation.

"RAB is not provided with impunity. So I can confirm that the European Parliament has been given wrong information," Inu said while speaking with reporters during a visit to Kushtia, his constituency.

He said MEPs did not even take a look into the Act which controls RAB.

Inu said former prime minister Khaleda Zia in her previous term had given the military and law enforcers impunity after the 'Operation Clean Heart'.

"But Sheikh Hasina's government got rid of it. We think impunity is undemocratic. We don’t have any plan to provide RAB with that."

He called European Parliament's resolution ‘damaging’ and advised it to seriously look into matters before making comments on Bangladesh's issues.

Referring to the recently formulated National Broadcast Policy, the European Parliament had urged Bangladesh government not to suppress opinions of others.

Inu said comments on Bangladesh’s broadcast policy by ‘Parliament of other countries’ were ‘unfortunate’.

He, however, claimed that the policy was consistent with the Constitution and freedom of press.

On the Appellate Division verdict on Jamaat-e-Islami leader and war criminal Delwar Hossain Sayedee, the minister said: “We’re dissatisfied with and aggrieved by the verdict.”

But, he said, the court judgment established that Sayedee was a murderer, rapist and war criminal.

He also bashed BNP chief Khaleda for her silence over the verdict in Sayedee's war crimes case.