Charles Tannock, author. – Mr President, Bangladesh has, for many years, struggled with the problem of terrorist threats. Given the similar problems we see in our own countries, we are only too aware that preventing threats from turning into attacks is a difficult and costly business, so we do so with the benefit of more resources in the European Union, better intelligence and fewer potential threats. Despite the progress Bangladesh has made in recent years, it remains one of the poorest countries in the world, with a population of over 150 million people. As such, we must therefore remain cautious when criticising its efforts to tackle clear and present threats.

Nevertheless, this cannot be routinely offered as a blanket universal explanation, and in cases such as the jailing of the photographer Shahidul Alam we cannot deny that the provisions of the Information and Communication Technology Act (ICT Act) are, at times, being used inappropriately by the government.

I welcome therefore today’s resolution and, as a close friend of Bangladesh, call for the authorities there to avoid bringing its counterterrorism measures into disrepute. Finally, as we approach the elections next month, I call on all parties to participate peacefully and hope that we will not see a repeat of the violence that we saw five years ago.