The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has reacted to the sanctions imposed by the US amid allegations of serious human rights abuse, saying the protection of people’s rights is the agency’s “prime duty”.
“RAB is a great human rights activist,” Col AKM Azad, additional director general of the force, said in a message on Saturday.
The US State Department and the Treasury Department announced the sanctions on the RAB, its former chief Benazir Ahmed and six other officials on Friday, making the individuals ineligible for entry into the US.
RAB spokesman Khandaker Al Moin faced questions from reporters on the US sanctions at a news conference on Saturday, reports bdnews24.com.
Moin also said the force ensures, not violates, human rights, and it has “set an example of humanity in the world” by allowing 421 militants and pirates to surrender and return to normal life. “Isn’t it humanity? RAB always shows compassion.”
To ensure human rights, 28 members of the 9,000-strong force have sacrificed their lives, while more than 1,000 others have been disabled and over 2,000 have been injured, according to him. “I doubt if any other force in the world sacrificed so much.”
Moin said the RAB did not receive any official message from the US over the sanctions. The government will act if the US sends its decisions formally.
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen earlier summoned US Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl Miller to convey Dhaka’s discontent over the sanctions.
Bangladesh is disappointed that the decision was taken without consulting the government on the matter first, Momen said.