Washington, Feb 10 (NationPress) - Members of the US Congress have expressed alarm over human rights abuses and violence targeting religious minorities, particularly Hindus, in Bangladesh. They are calling for increased scrutiny of incidents that have not received adequate international attention as the country approaches its upcoming elections.

During a Congressional briefing, Rep. Suhas Subramanyam emphasized that the forum aimed to highlight abuses that often go unnoticed. He stated, “Human rights is an issue everywhere. But, sometimes it gets all the news. You see it on the news every day, and sometimes it doesn’t get any attention or any news.”

The briefing, held at the US Capitol, was coordinated by HinduAction and the Coalition of Hindus of North America (COHNA).

Subramanyam, representing Virginia’s 10th Congressional District and a member of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, noted that the focus was on “human rights violations and violence against religious minorities like Hindus in Bangladesh.”

He highlighted the urgency of the situation, stating, “We see the faces and the names here of victims of it,” referencing the tense political climate as elections loom. “The reality is there’s an election in three days, and one political group is not allowed to participate.”

He also mentioned worries about allegations of voter suppression and violence impacting minority communities. “In other cases, we’re seeing instances of voter suppression of minority groups, and then we see actual violence,” Subramanyam remarked.

While acknowledging imperfections within the US, he insisted that the nation should hold its allies to fundamental standards. “We want to certainly do a good job as Americans here in the US when it comes to human rights. We’re not perfect,” he noted. “But we also want our friends and allies, and all countries around the world to meet a certain standard.”

That standard, he asserted, is “to treat people equally regardless of their religion, their race, their background, their culture, their identity, their ethnicity.”

Subramanyam stressed the importance of open dialogue, stating, “This is so important to be able to discuss these issues in the open and to bring attention to things that are not getting reported enough,” and expressed gratitude to the organizers for the briefing.

Rep. Tom Barrett also spoke at the event, connecting human rights advocacy to broader US foreign policy objectives. “I appreciate the partnership of all of you as we look to really carry out the best that we can through America’s foreign policy to make sure that we’re enriching the livelihoods of others across the world,” Barrett said.

A former US Army officer, Barrett shared that his 22 years of service were defined by counterterrorism operations. “That time that I spent was centered around America’s war on terror,” he stated, emphasizing efforts “to really deter Islamic terrorism, particularly from confronting Americans and others around the world.”

He highlighted that the issue remains unresolved despite the withdrawal from major conflicts. “While the technical war on terror, Iraq and Afghanistan in particular, war fronts have really wound down, it doesn’t mean that the effects of terrorism have completely evaporated around the world,” Barrett commented.

He encouraged attendees to maintain their engagement with policymakers. “I really encourage you to continue to raise that advocacy with your own members of Congress and others that you’re interacting with here in our nation’s capital,” he concluded.