The European Union delegation in Dhaka has said that they expect the authorities will ensure that all incidents involving the deaths of alleged criminal suspects in Bangladesh will be investigated fully in accordance with due processes.
The delegation said this in a statement issued on Monday in agreement with the EU heads of mission in Bangladesh.
The head of mission of Norway associated herself with this local EU statement, it read.
The delegation said: "Drug abuse and illicit trafficking is a global problem. The high level of casualties and reports of the use of excessive force in the drive against narcotics, however, is reported to have resulted in over 120 deaths since May 4.”
The EU has said Bangladesh has committed to uphold the rule of law and ensure that all law enforcement actions are carried out in accordance with the law, and in adherence to international standards and norms, including with appropriate safeguards over the use of force.
The signatories of the statement are: EU Delegation Ambassador Rensje Teerink, Italian Ambassador Mario Palma, German Ambassador Thomas Heinrich Prinz, Dutch Ambassador Leoni Cuelenaere, British High Commissioner Alison Blake, Danish Ambassador Mikael Hemniti Winther, Spanish Ambassador D Alvaro de Salas Gimanez de Azcarate, Swedish Ambassador Charlotta Schlyter, French Ambassador Marie-Annick Bourdin and Norwegian Ambassador Sidsel Bleken.
May, more than 130 people, mostly suspected drug dealers, have been killed in “gunfights” with either rival groups or law enforcement agencies across the country during an aggressive and government-sponsored anti-narcotics drive.