Recent developments have shed light on the United States’ far-reaching visa policy that extends its influence over approximately 170 million Bangladeshis. While Peter Haas, the US Ambassador in Bangladesh has mentioned in an interview with a local TV channel that the newly enforced “visa policy” may also encompass members of the media in Bangladesh, the US Embassy’s spokesperson, Bryan Schiller, has provided clarification, stating that this visa policy shall be applicable to “any Bangladeshi individual”.
On September 27, 2023, Blitz sent an email to Bryan Schiller, seeking clarification on the matter. This inquiry was prompted by a report in several local newspapers in Bangladesh, including The Daily Star, quoting Ambassador Peter Haas, which suggested that the US visa policy might extend its scope to include media personnel in Bangladesh. The report quoted Ambassador Haas as saying, “We are applying the policy in a balanced way against anyone regardless of whether they are pro-government, whether they are in the opposition, or whether they are law enforcement, whether they are in the judiciary, whether it’s the media”, emphasizing that the policy is based on individuals’ behaviors and actions.
In response to this, on September 26, 2023, Dhaka’s vernacular daily Prothom Alo published a report in which a question was forwarded to US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller. The question addressed concerns about the inclusion of media personnel in the new visa restrictions and how it might contradict the US call for upholding freedom of the press and human rights. In reply, Matthew Miller stated, “What we have said, and we have not announced because visa records are confidential – we have not announced the specific members or the specific individuals to which this will apply, but it made clear that they will apply to members of law enforcement, the ruling party, and the political opposition”.
This has raised some ambiguity as Ambassador Peter Haas seemed to indicate that the policy would encompass media personnel, whereas Matthew Miller’s response did not specifically mention the media.
Given that US authorities do not disclose the names of individuals subject to visa restrictions, the inquiry from Blitz sought clarity on whether the policy would indeed apply to “media” as indicated by Ambassador Haas. In response, Bryan Schiller provided the following statement:
“We have imposed visa restrictions under the policy known as ‘3C’ against members of law enforcement, the ruling party, and the political opposition. As we made clear when we announced this policy on May 24, the policy applies to any Bangladeshi individual believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, undermining the democratic election process in Bangladesh. Actions that undermine democratic elections could include vote rigging, voter intimidation, the use of violence to prevent people from exercising their rights to freedom of association and freedom of peaceful assembly, and the use of measures designed to prevent political parties, voters, civil society, or the media from participating in the electoral process or expressing their views”. — U.S. Embassy Spokesperson Bryan Schiller.
In light of Bryan Schiller’s statement, it is now evident that the visa policy is not limited to members of the ruling and opposition parties, law enforcement agencies, members of the judiciary, or the media. Instead, it will apply to “any Bangladeshi individual” if they are believed by the U.S. Embassy to be responsible for or complicit in undermining the democratic election process in Bangladesh. This broad scope of application underscores the policy’s far-reaching impact on Bangladeshi citizens.
