The TBH Desk
Matthew Miller, the US State Department spokesman stated that he did not have any new sanctions to announce at that time (Wednesday). Furthermore, he highlighted that it is a long-standing practice of the United States not to disclose information about sanctions before imposing them.
Several questions were asked in the briefing regarding different issues in Bangladesh. A reporter asked, “Three-time prime minister of Bangladesh, Begum Khaleda Zia – there’s a media report that she was being poisoned and ill-treated while she was in government custody. Now they are not allowing her to go – go to have an adequate treatment and she’s dying. UN already made the request for her treatment abroad. Does America has any plan to make the same request?” Miller did not reply to this question.
In response to another question, Matthew Miller said, “So we have seen the concerning news of deep fakes in election-related disinformation in Bangladesh. It’s part of a worrying trend around the globe of using AI to manipulate and influence democratic processes.”
In response to a question on recent Political activities in Bangladesh and the statements from Foreign Minister on Bangladesh-US relationship, Miller said, “we are deeply concerned by the reports of mass arrests of thousands of opposition members and reports of torture in prison. We urge all sides to exercise restraint and avoid violence. We urge the Government of Bangladesh to work with all stakeholders to create conditions in which all may participate in the pre-election and election environment freely, without fear of violence or retribution. It is our belief that a healthy democracy benefits from a variety of voices speaking freely, engaged in dialogue and discussion in an exchange about the issues of the day.”