Waging Peace: Bangladesh
Following the Sept. 11 terrorist attack on the United States, The Carter Center and NDI canceled a mission to observe the Oct. 1 election. However, when international and domestic observers reported the election met international standards, President Carter issued a public statement urging the losing Awami League to cease inflammatory charges of massive rigging and "accept the results of the election in order to strengthen Bangladesh's democratic institutions for the long term" and continue its leadership role in opposition. "This is the essence of democracy," he said.
Advocating Human Rights
In the early 1990s, President Carter became involved with the effort to free a young Bangladeshi girl who had been abducted - a victim of a notorious Pakistani slave trade. President Carter acted individually, as a renowned human rights advocate, in cooperation with the international effort on her behalf.