FM Hasan urges expats to take action under local laws against anti-country propaganda abroad

Foreign Minister and Bangladesh Awami League Hasan Mahmud has urged Bangladeshis abroad to take legal steps against those who are engaged in anti-country propaganda by using local laws of the respective foreign country.

He made the call while inaugurating the office of Austria Awami League in Vienna, the capital of Austria on Sunday morning.

"Today, under the leadership of Bangabandhu's daughter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh is advancing at an unstoppable speed on the road to prosperity. To stop this progress, anti-liberation forces are sitting in Europe and spreading propaganda and hatching a conspiracy," he said.

Even when the prime minister of Pakistan is lauding the development of Bangladesh, the leaders of BNP do not see the development, he said.

"They are engaged in anti-nation conspiracies by employing paid agents abroad," added Hassan, who is also the joint secretary general of Awami League.

"Awami League leaders and activists should be more vocal about this, anti-country activists living in different countries should be exposed and if necessary, action should be taken according to the laws of those countries," said Hasan.

Mentioning that the leaders and workers of his party have played a strong role in all movements and crises in Bangladesh, he said, the AL must be united everywhere as no one can fight a united AL.

The minister thanked the expatriates for contributing to the development of the country by sending remittances and urged them to send remittances through formal channels.

President of Austria Awami League Khandkar Hafizur Nasim presided over the ceremony while General Secretary Mizanur Rahman Shyamal moderated the event.

All European Awami League President M. Nazrul Islam, Austria Awami League Vice President Ruhi Das Saha, Ratan Saha, Billal Hossain, Saiful Islam Jasim, Journalist Editor Nayan Hossain, Austria Bangabandhu Parishad President Robin Mohammad Ali were also present, according to a message here.

The foreign minister arrived in Vienna early Sunday on an official visit to attend the international conference.

The Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs is hosting the two-day international conference "Humanity at the Crossroads: Autonomous Weapons Systems and the Challenge of Regulation" on April 29-30 in the Hofburg Palace in Vienna.

The increased autonomy of weapons through the introduction of artificial intelligence will fundamentally transform armed conflicts.

Autonomous weapons systems (AWS) raise profound questions from a legal, ethical, humanitarian and security perspective. Humanity is at a crossroads and must come together to address the fundamental challenge of regulating these weapons.

In the first-ever UN General Assembly resolution on lethal autonomous weapons systems in 2023, an overwhelming majority of states underlined the urgent need for the international community to address the challenges and concerns raised by autonomous weapons systems.

Austria is hosting this conference in the hope of further advancing the debate on international regulation of AWS.