US suspends RAB training for extrajudicial killings

Special Correspondent

met03

The United states has informed Bangladesh that it will not continue with training programmes and assistance for the Rapid Action Battalion citing a gross violation of human rights by the battalion personnel.
In an official letter to the inspector general of police, the United States said that it had determined that ‘individual members and units of the Rapid Action Battalion are ineligible for US training and assistance as a result of gross violation of human rights which have been committed by RAB members.’
Copies of the letter signed by the chargé-d’affaires at the US embassy in Dhaka, Jon F Donilowiez, on February 3 were also sent to the home secretary and the director general of the battalion, an elite police force police.
The US authorities wanted that the country should take effective steps to bring members responsible for such rights violation to justice for the continuity of the US-funded training programmes.
‘Henceforth, we request that the government of Bangladesh refrain from nominating RAB members for US-funded training opportunities until such time as US restrictions are lifted,’ the letter said.
‘As noted above, this can only occur once there has been a determination that gross violations of human rights by RAB have ceased and the government of Bangladesh takes sufficient corrective action against the perpetrators of past abuses,’ it said.
At least 760 people were killed extrajudicially by the battalion till August 2013 since the elite force was set up in 2004, according to statistics available with rights watchdog Odhikar. In addition, 31 people were tortured to death by RAB during the period.
The US government funds training programmes for foreign security forces under the Foreign Assistance Act 1961.
A battalion official said that they had bee informed of the US stand through the foreign ministry in regard to their training programmes.
The extrajudicial killings by the battalion that began during the BNP-led alliance government continued during the Awami League’s tenure in office although the the current ruling party in its election manifesto in 2008 pledged steps to end such killings.
The Awami League, however, did not mention any such thing regarding the extrajudicial killing in its election manifesto for the national elections that took place on January 5.

Source: Weekly Holiday

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

3 COMMENTS

  1. POLICE MURDERED 2 JAMAAT LEADERS, MIRAJUL ISLAM (42) & HADIUZZAMAN HADI (16) IN PIRGACHA, RANGPUR ON THE EVE OF 5TH JANUARY’S FARCICAL “ELECTION”!
    Highly politicised Police officers were on order from the Home ministry and Law ministry to SHOT AT THE LEADERS OF THE JAMMAT WHO WANTED TO STOP 5TH JANUARY’S ELECTION TAKING PLACE THAT WAS BOYCOTTED BY ENTIRE OPPOSITION.
    It is almost impossible to hope that the killers would ever be tried as long as this current government stays in power. There had already been 37 such killings by the police and not a single one of the killers has been arrested, suspended.
    TWO JAMMAT LEADERS CORPSES ARE TO BE DUG OUT FROM GRAVE FOR FORENSIC TEST SAID A COURT AFTER THE RELATIVES OF THE VICTIMS FILED A CASE OF UNLAWFUL KILLING.From Rangpur-Ismail Ali Fakir :15.02.14———-

  2. A classic example of US hypocrisy, a cornerstone of US foreign policy around the world. They go around the world aiding and supporting repressive and criminal anti-people regimes and then turn around and blame these same governments for their repressive acts and violation of human rights with, of course, one exception – Israel. They blame the Karzai govt of Afghanistan, for example, of corruption whereas it is a well known fact that the CIA is actively involved in the process. Other examples are – Hosney Mubarak of Egypt, Saudis and Bahrainis and Qataris and countless other governments around the world including many in Africa and South America. In short, it’s this menace of US foreign policy that is slowly turning this planet into a hell of a world and sooner we can get rid of this the better it will be for the entire humanity.

Comments are closed.