US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas today noted that the number of extrajudicial killings has significantly gone down since the US sanctions imposed last December on RAB.
He saw this “as a good sign”.
The US ambassador made the remarks at “Meet the Ambassador” event organized by the Center for Governance Studies and German think tank Friedrich Ebert Stiftung at a Dhaka hotel.
Political parties, academics, and former diplomats were present at the event.
Haas said the sanctions imposed by the US against RAB and seven of its former and current officials were not intended to punish them but to change their behaviour and hold them accountable.
Responding to a question, Ambassador Haas said there has been no change in their policy and sanctions are still in place.
And, he said, sanctions will remain in place until there has been accountability and reform.
"We are looking for accountability for the past incidents," said the US envoy.
Photo collected from the internet shows US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter HaasThe US ambassador also said that peaceful and fair elections are not possible if there is violence.
He laid emphasis on free, fair, and inclusive elections in Bangladesh and expressed concerns over the recent political violence.
Talking further on the elections, he said, "I keep saying free, fair and transparent elections in accordance with international standards. I am happy to add inclusive on it."
The US ambassador touched upon various aspects of Bangladesh-US relations, including trade, labour rights, regional and global politics, and Indo-Pacific strategy.
Bangladesh has made remarkable progress in terms of workplace safety in the export-oriented industries, he said, adding that the US still has concerns in the area of labour rights.
Zillur Rahman, Executive Director of Centre for Governance Studies (CGS), moderated the session.