{"id":122436,"date":"2022-01-27T18:08:57","date_gmt":"2022-01-28T01:08:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=122436"},"modified":"2022-01-27T18:08:57","modified_gmt":"2022-01-28T01:08:57","slug":"please-no-more-sanctions-on-bangladeshs-rab","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2022\/01\/27\/please-no-more-sanctions-on-bangladeshs-rab\/","title":{"rendered":"Please, no more sanctions on Bangladesh\u2019s RAB"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hafizur Talukdar<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

A\ntotal of 12 human rights groups, including Amnesty International and Human\nRights Watch, have written to the UN calling for the removal of RAB from UN\npeacekeeping missions. In December, the United States imposed sanctions on the\nBangladesh Police Special Forces Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and a total of\nsix former and current officers for alleged involvement in “grave human\nrights abuses.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twelve\ninternational non-governmental organizations have recently written a letter to\nthe Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations peacekeeping mission. Different\ntypes of propaganda and speculation are going to be noticed here. They said\nthat the RAB of Bangladesh is violating various human rights. In their\nlanguage, RAB of Bangladesh is engaged in various misdeeds, violating human\nrights. For this, they have requested the RAB of Bangladesh not to take them in\npeace keeping. They wrote the letter on November 7. It’s been two months since\nthe UN received it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nletter was sent two months ago, on November 8, 2021, and was released today\n(Thursday), according to Human Rights Watch. A letter to UN\nUnder-Secretary-General Jean-Pierre Lacon called for all members of the RAB to\nbe barred from peacekeeping operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According\nto the media reports, the letter was signed by Amnesty International, Asian\nFederation against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD), Asian Forum for Human\nRights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), Asian Human Rights Commission, Asian\nNetwork for Free Elections (ANFREL), Capital Punishment Justice Project,\nCIVICUS, World Alliance for Citizen Participation, Human Rights Watch,\nInternational Federation for Human Rights, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, The\nAdvocates for Human Rights, and World Organization Against Torture (OMCT).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On\nthe other hand, a member of the European Parliament has written to the European\nUnion (EU) imposing sanctions against the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). He said\nin a letter against the RAB that the force was involved in a number of\nextrajudicial killings and disappearances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According\nto sources, EU Member of Parliament Ivan Stefanek wrote a letter to Joseph\nBorel, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and\nSecurity Policy, on January 20. In the letter, he said the situation of human\nrights, freedom of speech, civil and political rights in Bangladesh is\ndeteriorating. He also mentioned the US sanctions against the RAB and seven of\nits current and former officials. “In view of these incidents, my request\nis that you use the power you have to enforce the ban against the Rapid Action\nBattalion,” he said in the letter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But\nthey should know that Bangladesh is at the forefront of sending law enforcement\npersonnel to UN peacekeeping missions. In 2012, Bangladesh sent the highest\nnumber of peacekeeping personnel to different countries, with 6,631 members\nfrom different forces. Human rights groups allege that officers were sent to\npeacekeeping missions as a reward for serious human rights abuses inside the\ncountry, especially RAB members, many of whom have been charged with\nextrajudicial killings, torture and disappearances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bangladesh\nhas been playing a great role in the peace process of Africa. Bangladesh played\nan important role in Haiti, East Timor, Middle Eastern countries for promoting\npeace and harmony. International community should remember, consider and\nunderstand this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However,\neveryone knows the role of Bangladesh peace keepers to establish peace in\nAfrica. Bangladesh Army, Navy, Air Force, Police have served in UN peacekeeping\nmissions (Africa Mission) with considerable reputation. At that time, in\n1993-94, the most talked about peace missions in Rwanda, Somalia and Bosnia,\nthe Bangladesh Army came to the center of the discussion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bangladesh\nhas a huge contribution and role in the peace process of Africa. According to\nUNO and Bangladesh army, Currently Bangladesh is one of the leading troop\ncontributors with 6,582 peacekeepers mostly in Africa. Being a country\ncommitted to peace, Bangladesh has always been keen in contributing for peace\nacross the globe. Bangladeshi peacekeepers are currently deployed in eight out\nof 13 peacekeeping missions in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, South\nSudan, Western Sahara, Mali, Central African Republic, Yemen and Lebanon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RAB\nhas played a commendable role in controlling drug-terrorism and militancy in\nBangladesh. That is why we have been able to deal effectively with\ndrug-terrorism and militancy in Bangladesh as compared to many developed\ncountries. According to the media, we know the role of RAB in combating\nmaritime threats in the strategic Bay of Bengal. Combating maritime threats is\none of the agendas of US-Western lead \u2018Indo-Pacific Strategy\u2019. On the other\nhand, Bangladesh\u2019s RAB has played a great role in maintaining peace, harmony,\nlaw and order in the Rohingya camps. RAB has been relentlessly working to\nimplement the government’s zero tolerance policy against terrorism in line with\nUS agenda of War on Terror<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile,\nEU Ambassador to Dhaka Charles Whiteley has said that the EU has nothing to do with\nthe letter from a member of the European Union (EU) Parliament to remove the\nRapid Action Battalion (RAB) from the UN peacekeeping mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I\ndon’t want to comment on the US sanctions on the RAB,” he said. I do not\nhave accurate information about this. However, the letter from a member of the\nEU parliament was his personal opinion. The EU has nothing to do with it.\n“<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nEU ambassador made the remarks at a ‘Meet the Reporters’ event at the Dhaka\nReporters’ Unity (DRU) Nasrul Hamid auditorium at 10:30 am on January 26.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On\nthe other hand, according to a media report, a spokesman for the UN told the\nmedia: “Every time the UN hires a person for peacekeeping, they give it a\ngo.\u2019 The letter was given for the purpose of propaganda against Bangladesh. We\nbelieve that these propaganda and malicious acts are against the people of\nBangladesh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\ncomments made by the EU ambassador to Bangladesh are fully right in this\nregard. As a promoter of peace, law and order (EU as an organization), the EU\ncan’t do it. Before taking any decisions in this regard, the authorities of the\nEU and UN should consult with the Bangladesh government. On the other hand, the\ndecision may be treated as politically biased, motivated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\nmight have been some isolated crossfire that occurred during RAB\u2019s operations\nagainst criminal activity. But compared to its success, such incidents occur in\nmany national law enforcement agencies around the world. On the other hand,\nwhen Bangladesh is trying to resolve the issue with the US authority diplomatically,\nsuch a proposal to the UN and EU is very inappropriate. Sanctions are not the\nonly permanent solution. Discussion, negotiations, reformation, corrections can\nbe some kind of tools. Thus, the international community should investigate the\nmatter before reaching a final decision against the RAB.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nBangladesh government should take it seriously regarding the matters. They\nshould make the UNO understand that some politically biased and motivated\norganizations and persons are trying to defame Bangladesh in the international\narena and propagating against Bangladesh. When the economic rise of Bangladesh\nin South Asia is confirmed amongst the internal community, some vested groups\nmotivated by mere human rights issues or any geopolitical interest are trying\nto serve their vested interest. Their ill motives are clear now. The positive\nimage of Bangladesh is now their target. If any kind of doubt arises in this\nregard, the international community can work together with Bangladesh.\nObviously, Bangladesh will work with the international community. Again, before\ntaking any decisions in this regard, the authorities of the EU and UN should\nconsult with the Bangladesh government. Please, no more sanctions on RAB. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hafizur Talukdar A total of 12 human rights groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have written to the UN calling for the removal of RAB from UN peacekeeping missions. In December, the United States imposed sanctions on the Bangladesh Police Special Forces Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and a total of six former and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[182],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-122436","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hafizur-talukdar"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122436","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=122436"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122436\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=122436"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=122436"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=122436"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}