Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday questioned the motive behind the US sanctions on the Rapid Action Battalion.
“Who created RAB?” she asked, saying the US trained RAB and provided everything to the anti-crime agency, which has been credited for its role in dealing with militancy and terrorism.
She said some people provide false and fabricated information about human rights violations to the United States, and some of them are misguiding the US after committing crimes in Bangladesh and leaving the country.
She applauded RAB, saying it has successfully tackled crimes and terrorism, but now criminals are getting encouraged because of such sanctions on the agency.
Sheikh Hasina made the statement when she briefed journalists at her official residence, Ganabhaban, on her recent participation in the UN General Assembly.
Earlier this month, US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas said the number of extrajudicial killings has significantly gone down since the US sanctions imposed on RAB. He said he saw it “as a good sign”.
In December, 2021, the United States imposed human rights-related sanctions on RAB and seven former or current officials of the agency.
