EU Heads of Mission stress that the violent scenes in Dhaka in recent days, particularly where school children and young people have been caught in protests or violent clashes with other groups are a source of real concern.
We expect all sides to remain calm and to respect the right to peaceful protest. Incidents of unlawful or disproportionate violence or action against protestors, journalists or others need to stop; those that happened must be investigated and perpetrators held to account.
The school-children’s protests highlighted fears over road safety and the enforcement of laws and regulations on the roads in Bangladesh. The Government’s recognition of the need for action is a welcome step and we therefore expect further Government action to address this without delay.