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Published : 16 Jan 2014, 11:59 PM
It suggested that the government ban parties resorting to terrorists acts.
It did not, however, name any of the parties to be outlawed in a resolution adopted on Thursday.
The call came at a time when the government was pressing the BNP to sever its ties with the Jamaat and come forward for a dialogue.
The Members of European Parliament (MEPs) took note of Bangladesh’s secular culture and urged parties with “a democratic reputation” to develop “a culture of mutual respect”.
They also appealed to the government to release Opposition politicians who they believed were “subject to arbitrary arrest”.
The MEPs condemned the widespread violence that erupted in the run-up to the Jan 5 elections boycotted by the BNP.
The Awami League formed the government for the second consecutive time, having gained absolute majority in an election in which more than half the seats had returned uncontested winners.
The resolution also suggested that the EU use “every means available to assist a process seeking a compromise which would give the Bangladeshi people a chance to express their democratic choice in a representative way”.
The EU did not send observers to the just held general election, as it did not find it “transparent, inclusive and credible” as more than half of the seats going unchallenged.
As the BNP and its allies had tried to stall the polls they were boycotting, the run-up to the poll was marked by countrywide violence.
The government, for its part, had cracked down by arresting many senior opposition leaders.
“The opposition politicians, subject to arbitrary arrest, should be released, parties having a democratic reputation need to develop a culture of mutual respect, and parties which turn to terrorist acts should be banned,” said the resolution.
The parliament instructed its President to forward the resolution to the Bangladesh government, Parliament, the UN Secretary-General and all functionaries of the European Union including the governments of its member states.
It took note of the Bangladesh’s overall political context surrounding the elections and also the war crimes trial issue.
It also touched on the post-elections attacks on minotiries before adopting the resolution.
The resolution underlined Bangladesh’s reputation as “a tolerant society within a secular state”.
It called authorities to provide “increased protection for ethnic and religious minorities at risk and to ensure effective prosecution of all instigators of intercommunal violence”.
The parliament also acknowledged that, “despite its considerable shortcomings”, the International Crimes Tribunal which was trying war crimes suspects had played “an important role in providing redress and closure for victims of and those affected by the Bangladeshi war of independence”.
However, MEPs expressed concerns over the death penalties as Europe campaigns against death penalties in any circumstances.
It also called upon the government to revise the “Information and Communication Technology Act and the Anti-Terrorism Act”, which were made “more stringent under the last government and can lead to the arbitrary criminalisation of citizens”.
It “sincerely regrets” the fact that Bangladesh’s Parliament and the political parties did not manage to agree on “an inclusive mechanism” for the elections.
It called on the government and the opposition to put “the best interests of Bangladesh first as a matter of urgency and to find a compromise”.
