Accusations of Violence Against Designated Bangladeshi Ambassador to Austria

Bangladesh has appointed a diplomatic heavyweight as the new ambassador to Austria in the form of former foreign office general director Mohammad Tauhedul Islam. Whether he will be able to take up his post seems questionable. Austria is said to have rejected the appointment due to allegations of violence. The Foreign Office declined to comment on Monday. Bangladesh's Foreign Minister Abdul Momen supported Tauhedul, according to ORF.

According to Die Presse, the top diplomat allegedly abused an employee during his time as Consul General in Milan from 2013 to 2014. Secretary of State Momen spoke of a conspiracy and false accusations. "He is a very good official. I will defend him as long as I am a minister," stressed Momen. He pointed out that after the allegations became known, he was withdrawn and suspended. There was an official investigation "which revealed that the allegations were fabricated. He was then promoted to the ambassador," emphasized the Foreign Minister.

As reported by ORF, Tauhedul is currently serving as the High Commissioner of the East Asian country in Singapore. He is also accredited as Ambassador to East Timor. Before that, he was Consul General in Kunming, China. From Milan, he moved to the Foreign Ministry in Dhaka as Director General. Before that, he had worked at the UN Mission of Bangladesh in New York, where he said he had "made notable contributions on a global scale," specifically in the drafting of several key UN resolutions on the rights of people with autism.

Also according to ORF, When asked on Monday, the Foreign Ministry said: "that there is no diplomatic upset with Bangladesh." The "Kronen Zeitung “ had previously reported on such a thing. It remained unclear whether the Foreign Office rejected Tauhedul's appointment. A spokeswoman said, "that we do not comment publicly on such a confidential procedure". "In general, we expect all ambassadors who work in Austria to be irreproachable and honest. If we suspect otherwise, we reserve the right not to issue an agreement," it said intending to obtain the consent of the host country before appointing an ambassador, as provided for in diplomatic relations.

As stated by Die Presse, according to Article 4 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the sending state must obtain the consent of the receiving state before appointing a head of mission in that country. Only when the agrément (French for consent) has been issued will the sending state issue the accreditation letter. The designated ambassador presents this to the head of state of the receiving country upon his arrival. From this point on, he/she becomes the ambassador. The receiving state may refuse the agrément without giving reasons. If he does not give his consent within a reasonable period, this is taken as a signal to the sending state to appoint some other representative.