Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to monitor levels of political (a) violence and (b) persecution in Bangladesh; and what recent representations he has made to his counterparts in Bangladesh on those issues.

Answered by Catherine West

The UK has a long-standing commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights globally. We are closely monitoring the situation in Bangladesh. In November 2024, I visited Bangladesh and held discussions about the importance of human rights with Chief Adviser Yunus, and Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain. In February, UK Human Rights Ambassador Eleanor Sanders visited Bangladesh and met senior government officials to discuss justice, accountability and fundamental freedoms.

To support democratic resilience, and reduce political tensions, the UK funded Bangladesh Collaborative, Accountable and Peaceful Politics programme aims at safeguarding civic space, encouraging political cooperation, tackling corruption and mitigating violence. We continue to stress to the Government, both in public and in private, the importance of respect for human rights and rule of law.

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Chair); Mr Calvin Bailey; Jesse Norman

Found: Evans MP In the 2024 Parliament: The Rt Hon Caroline Nokes MP (Chair) Sir Ashley Fox MP Mr Calvin Bailey

Found: SEN0596 1 Written evidence submitted by Mr Calvin Bailey MP As the Member of Parliament for Leyton and

Found: Griffiths Sonia Kumar Charlie Maynard Gregor Poynton Mr Joshua Reynolds Matt Western Mr Calvin Bailey

Submit Evidence (by 14 Oct 2025)

This inquiry will examine the circumstances behind and the consequences of a major data breach in February 2022 from the Ministry of Defence. The breach involved the personal data of thousands of Afghan applicants for resettlement to the UK and their families, potentially putting these people at risk of reprisals. The inquiry aims to understand how this breach could have been allowed to happen, and, once it had happened, whether successive Governments took well-informed and sensible decisions under cover of an unprecedented super-injunction. The inquiry will also examine the Government’s wider arrangements for the resettlement of eligible Afghans in the UK.