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having regard to its previous resolutions on Bangladesh of 6 April 2017 (1) and 26 November 2015 (2),

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having regard to its resolution of 14 June 2017 on the state of play of the implementation of the Sustainability Compact in Bangladesh (3), and having regard to the Commission’s technical status report of 28 September 2018,

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having regard to its resolution of 27 April 2017 on the EU flagship initiative on the garment sector (4),

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having regard to the Cooperation Agreement of 2001 between the European Community and the People’s Republic of Bangladesh on Partnership and Development (5),

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having regard to the International Labour Organisation Convention on Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise,

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having regard to the Sustainability Compact for Continuous Improvements in Labour Rights and Factory Safety in the Ready-Made Garment and Knitwear Industry in Bangladesh,

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having regard to the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety of 2013, and its renewal in 2018,

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having regard to the joint local statement of 27 September 2018 on the Bangladesh Digital Security Act by the Heads of Mission of the EU Member States, the European Union Delegation and the Heads of Mission of Norway and Switzerland,

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having regard to the National Report of 26 February 2018 submitted to the UN Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Bangladesh,

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having regard to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, adopted on 20 December 2006 by the UN General Assembly, and which entered into force on 23 December 2010,

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having regard to the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, endorsed by the UN Human Rights Council on 16 June 2011,

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having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948,

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having regard to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights of 1966,

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having regard to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child,

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having regard to the Bangladesh National Action Plan to Eliminate Child Marriage 2015-2021,

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having regard to the recommendations of the 17th session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII),

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having regard to the World Press Freedom Index 2018,

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having regard to the Bangladesh Digital Security Act of 2018,

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having regard to the Bangladesh Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Act, notably Section 57 thereof,

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having regard to the EU Human Rights Guidelines of 12 May 2014 on Freedom of Expression Online and Offline,

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having regard to Rule 135(5) and 123(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.

whereas the EU has long-standing relations with Bangladesh, including through the Cooperation Agreement on Partnership and Development; whereas respect for and promotion of human rights and democratic principles underpin the domestic and international policies of the parties and must be an essential part of EU external action;

B.

whereas the repression of members of civil society, including political activists, trade unionists, journalists, students, human rights defenders and minorities, has increased over the past years in Bangladesh; whereas UN human rights experts and international human rights groups have reported a discernible pattern in Bangladesh of extrajudicial executions, mass arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances such as the cases of Maroof Zaman and Mir Ahmad Bin Quasem;

C.

whereas Bangladesh ranks 146th out of 180 in the World Press Freedom Index; whereas violations of fundamental freedoms and human rights, particularly violence, harassment, intimidation and censorship of journalists and bloggers, continue to be widespread in Bangladesh; whereas the Bangladesh ICT Act, in particular Section 57 thereof, has been used over the few past years to arrest and prosecute activists and journalists who have criticised the government;

D.

whereas the Digital Security Act, as passed by the Parliament of Bangladesh on 19 September 2018, fails to amend Section 57 of the ICT Act, in spite of the numerous criticisms by Bangladeshi journalists, civil rights activists and the international community;

E.

whereas internationally recognised and award-winning Bangladeshi photojournalist Shahidul Alam, a teacher and activist, was forcibly abducted from his home on 5 August 2018 and imprisoned under the ICT Act after speaking out on recent student protests in Bangladesh and criticising the use of violence by the authorities; whereas he has remained in detention and been denied bail several times; whereas he has allegedly been denied adequate medical treatment and subjected to torture;

F.

whereas terrorist attacks have seen the government pursue a strict ‘zero tolerance’ approach; whereas mobile networks in Bangladesh have been shut down, and Bangladeshi security forces have reportedly been trying to buy electronic surveillance equipment on the international market; whereas the Government of Bangladesh has embarked on a campaign of intensive and intrusive surveillance and monitoring of social media;

G.

whereas elections are due to be held in Bangladesh on 30 December 2018; whereas opposition leader and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia is currently serving 10 years in jail for corruption and is barred from contesting the elections as a result; whereas she denies the charges, which her supporters claim were politically motivated;

H.

whereas women and girls in Bangladesh experience high levels of violence; whereas Bangladesh has the highest rate of child marriage in Asia and one of the highest in the world; whereas in 2017 the Government of Bangladesh passed the Child Marriage Restraint Act, which introduces exceptions in ‘special cases’, while failing to define such criteria or lay down a minimum age for such marriages;

I.

whereas in Bangladesh the death penalty can be applied for multiple crimes; whereas in 2017, six people were executed;

J.

whereas there has been a reported rise in cases of violence this year, in particular against indigenous women, as well as the harassment and arrest of indigenous rights activists in the Chittagong Hill Tracts area;

K.

whereas the EU is Bangladesh’s main trading partner and, as a least developed country (LDC), Bangladesh benefits from the most favourable regime available under the EU’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP), namely the Everything But Arms (EBA) arrangement;

L.

whereas Bangladesh is due to graduate out of LDC status in 2024; whereas an acceleration of reforms in human rights and labour rights, including eradicating child labour, is needed in the intervening years; whereas concerns remain around provisions in the Bangladesh Labour Act and draft Export Processing Zones Act;

M.

whereas, in the framework of the Sustainability Compact, the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh was signed between global apparel brands, retailers and trade unions; whereas to date, less than half of the factories covered by the accord have completed adequate safety measures; whereas the accord expired in October 2018, despite significant work remaining to be done; whereas the accord was succeeded by a Transition Accord to apply for three years;

N.

whereas the accord needs to be supported and all parties allowed to continue their work smoothly, including beyond November 2018; whereas only once the Government of Bangladesh and its Remediation Coordination Cell (RCC) have demonstrated both in word and in deed that they have met the readiness conditions and that these types of Responsible Business Conduct initiatives might no longer be needed;

O.

whereas in 2018 Bangladesh received a massive influx of over 700 000 Rohingya refugees escaping a campaign of ethnic cleansing by the Burmese military, and who remain in dire need of humanitarian assistance; whereas Bangladesh and Myanmar reached an agreement on 30 October 2018 on starting the repatriation of Rohingya people back to Myanmar as of mid-November and without the consultation or the involvement of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR);

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