Mr President,
Allow me to extend the gratitude of Sweden to the delegation of Bangladesh for having participated actively in the UPR dialogue. We only take the floor since we were not able to speak in the review in February. We would like to participate with some comments:
Sweden is concerned about reports on discriminatory attitudes towards women in Bangladesh. We noted that many countries recommended measures to protect women’s rights. Others recommended to prevent violence against women and girls. We welcome that many of those recommendations enjoy the support of the government and hope the consultations mentioned in the addendum will lead to equal treatment in all matters related to marriage, divorce, custody and property inheritance.
Regarding the issue of capital punishment, we thank the Bangladesh delegation for the explanations provided. As many other countries, also Sweden would encourage the government to abolish the death penalty, or as a first step, adopt a moratorium. We note with regret that recommendations to that end, which were put forward by other countries, did not enjoy the support of Bangladesh and would encourage the government to reconsider and accept those recommendations.
Thank you, Mr President.