A member of the European Parliament (MEP) has written to the European Union (EU), asking it to impose sanctions on the Rapid Action Battalion. He accused the elite force of being involved in extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances.
In a letter to Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission, on January 20, Ivan Stefanec, an MEP from Slovakia, also asked for help against the police and government of Bangladesh.
Responding to an email, an official from the office of MEP Stefanec shared the letter with Dhaka Tribune on Tuesday.
When contacted by this correspondent on Tuesday night, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen dismissed the letter, describing it as absurd.
“I’ve read the letter. The contents of the letter are certainly not related to Bangladesh. I think the name of Bangladesh has wrongly been mentioned,” he said.
“As the narrative of the letter is far from the truth, there is no reason for us to be worried. You (media) also should not pay any importance to it,” he added.
Dhaka Tribune reached out to the EU delegation in Dhaka.
“First of all, in connection with the unrest In Bangladesh, I am asking for your attention, as the ruling party often uses inhumane practices, which have also been reported by institutions such as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International. These include manipulating election results or suppressing political dissent,” says the letter.
“The situation is very serious at the moment because the US government has imposed a ban on the current incumbent inspector general, who is the chief of police, as well as the Bangladeshi Rapid Battalion, known as the RAB. These bans were imposed due to multiple extrajudicial executions over the years, specifically with reference to the killing of Ekramul Haque, a city councilor in May 2018,” it said.
Five other Bangladeshi senior officials were sanctioned and human rights organizations and several US Senate bodies have repeatedly called for sanctions against RAB for years, it added.
The letter also says: “The seriousness of this issue is evidenced by Al Jazeera's All the Prime Minister's Men Document, which reveals a secret agreement between criminal groups, the ruling party, the police and the military. The aim of this agreement is to commit corruption and serious human rights violations.”
“Based on the above document, which clarifies the critical situation in Bangladesh, where the mafia-linked government is clearly corrupt and the police are controlled by the government, Bangladesh citizens without serious control and responsibility for multiple human rights violations will remain victims of the illegal and undemocratic regime,” it says.
The letter went on to say: “Unfortunately, another alarming statistic is the number of missing Bangladesh citizens. The numbers are in the hundreds, just over 500. This number has been documented by a group of citizens. It is also sad that a significant number of the missing are found later, but unfortunately, without any signs of life. The UN is conducting an investigation into this.”
“In the past, The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, independent UN experts, and the European Union, have all criticized human rights abuses within Bangladesh, including the ruling government’s Digital Security Act, which stifles free speech, criminalizes online dissent, and violates international law,” it says.
The International Federation for Human Rights has stated that “serious human rights violations have often been perpetrated by law enforcement agencies, namely the police and the Rapid Action Battalion. Violations have included extrajudicial killings, 1,134 of which took place between January 2018 and June 2021,” states the letter.
The organization also states that “torture has also been routinely used as a tool against political opponents as well as ordinary citizens”, it says.
“In view of the events mentioned above, I ask that you use the power you have to help enforce sanctions against the Rapid Action Battalion, RAB for short. I also ask you for help against the Bangladesh Police and the Government,” MEP Stefanec says in his letter.
Detailing the economic progress of Bangladesh, the Slovak MEP says: “Unfortunately, the country's development is largely marked by human rights violations as well as corruption. I must sadly note that democratic values have been suppressed since the ruling party took power. For example, the press faces fear. Political opponents are insulted and bullied.”
“Courts are so highly influenced and subordinate to the government that there is in practice little difference between the decisions the executive would like courts to make, and the judicial decisions they actually make,” according to the letter.
“Despite everything, the situation in Bangladesh is extreme and deteriorating. Citizens and the political opposition do not have the opportunity to disagree without the risk of serious consequences,” it says.
“This situation is very serious and that is why I am asking for your help in re-establishing democracy,” the letter adds.
