441-02631 (Foreign affairs)

WHEREAS:

• The violent suppression of student protests in Bangladesh, demanding fair reforms to the quota system for government jobs has experienced unusual brutality and resulted in hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries over the last couple of weeks;
• The ongoing violence, killings and mass arrests of citizens, students, and political figures, raise serious concerns about the tactics employed by the current regime to stay in power and maintain control;
• After committing crimes against humanity, including indiscriminate killings, enforced disappearances, and torture of the freedom-loving students, and youths of our beloved nation, Bangladesh government imposed a curfew in the country; and
• Besides the imposition of a telecommunications blackout that isolated Bangladesh from the rest of the world, the country witnessed a situation reminiscent of warfare, with the deployment of armored vehicles and helicopters and a level of suppression unprecedented in its history.

THEREFORE: We, the undersigned residents of Canada, are deeply concerned about the ongoing massacre in Bangladesh, and call upon the House of Commons to stand in solidarity with the youth of Bangladesh and request your urgent intervention to halt the indiscriminate killings by law enforcement agencies. Your intervention can save hundreds of lives.