SAN FRANCISCO (Diya TV) — Nisha Desai, a top Indian-American diplomat, will be visiting Bangladesh in an effort to develop a more broad bilateral relationship and to discuss issues of shared concerns regarding security in the wake of a series of murders of secular bloggers and intellectuals in the Muslim-majority country.
The State Department has not yet released official details and the dates of Desai’s trip.
“She will also meet with the embassy community and hold discussions with local human rights and civil society organizations,” the State Department said.
The announcement of the trip comes just days after Secretary of State John Kerry had a phone conference with the Bangladeshi Prime Minister, during which he expressed grave concern over the murders of the bloggers and other human rights activists in the country. The U.S. asked Bangladesh this week to work more diligently to ensure a safe environment for all of its citizens.
“Our focus remains on urging the Government of Bangladesh to provide a more secure environment for all of its citizens, one that nurtures the spirit of the people of Bangladesh and the pride with which they guard their own traditions of tolerance, peace, and diversity,” State Department spokesman John Kirby said.
The U.S. has on multiple occasions raised concerns to the Bangladesh government on the killings of bloggers and rights activists, according to Kirby.
“We’re going to continue to do that, and I don’t have more specific initiatives to lay before you, but I can tell you we’re watching this very closely and we are in touch,” Kirby said.
In recent months, there have been a series of systemic attacks and assaults in the country specifically targeting minorities, secular bloggers, intellectuals and foreigners. Last year, four prominent bloggers were butchered with machetes, one inside of his own home. In February, a head priest was murdered at a Hindu temple during the first known ISIS attack in the area.
