DHAKA, February 16: The United States will not lift sanctions against an elite Bangladeshi police unit accused of extrajudicial killings until it is reformed, a visiting senior US envoy has said.
State Department Counselor Derek Chollet visited the South Asian country this week, where he discussed security cooperation with government representatives in Dhaka.
The diplomat is one of the highest-ranking US officials to travel to Bangladesh since Washington sanctioned the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) for human rights violations.
“If there is an erosion of democracy somewhere, it starts to put a limiting factor on what we can do together,” Chollet said as he wrapped up his trip Wednesday.
“We are committed to continuing to help Bangladesh strengthen the rule of law and security,” he said of the sanctions. “Until we see accountability until we see sustained reform, we won’t be able to turn the page on this.”
Dhaka and Washington normally have warm relations. They cooperate on security issues, and Bangladesh often votes alongside the United States at the United Nations.
But the United States and other Western governments have raised concerns about the political climate in Bangladesh, where Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s party dominates the legislature, running it almost like an official parliament.
According to the human rights group Odhikar, around 2,500 Bangladeshis have been reportedly killed by security forces since Hasina came to power in 2009. The RAB is accused by human rights groups of killing political opponents and organizing shootings to deny victims due process of law.
The government denies allegations of disappearances and extrajudicial killings, and a minister says some of the missing fled Bangladesh.
The US sanctions, imposed in December 2021, include an asset freeze and visa ban on seven current or former senior RAB officials. Chollet met Hasina in Dhaka and is concluding his South Asia tour with an official visit to Pakistan.
(RSS/AFP)
