Rab
It’s US that trained RAB: FM Momen
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Friday said here that it is the United States that trained RAB on their rules of engagement on how to behave with people and how to interrogate.
“They’ve been trained by the USA. The US has taught them the rules of engagement, how to behave with people and how to interrogate,” he told reporters here after attending a number of programmes, recalling the role of the USA and the UK in training the RAB.
Dr Momen said RAB is very efficient in its work and they are very effective. “They’re very efficient and they’re not corrupt. That's why they've been able to gain the trust of people.”
Read: It’s unfair to put all the blame of crossfires on RAB: Home Minister
The Foreign Minister said the government will definitely encourage RAB to go and take training afresh if they (RAB) have any weaknesses in the rules of engagement and if there are any human rights violations in these rules of engagement.
But the sections that have been imposed on individuals suddenly are not very justified, said the Foreign Minister, adding that the US got one-sided information.
The government remains open to sharing experience, revisiting some aspects of the US and UK trained RAB's rules of engagement and their training on human rights in handling the crimes.
Dr Momen said terrorist activities in the country have decreased because of RAB and in the last few years, there has been no more terrorist activity in the country after the Holey Artisan incident.
“This has been possible because of RAB. The US Department of State itself has acknowledged it. There’re some people who don’t like the law and order in the country. Those who like terrorism or drugs don't like RAB because RAB also acts against them. It’s very sad,” he added.
Earlier, the Foreign Minister wrote to his US counterpart Antony J. Blinken on a number of issues, including a call to "waive sanctions" on RAB and its current and former senior officials.
Bangladesh had already updated Secretary Blinken sharing Bangladesh's position on democracy, freedom of speech and human rights, minority and labour rights issues in his letter apart from touching upon sanctions issue broadly.
Read: UN Peacekeeping: 12 global HR bodies seek ban on RAB
Bangladesh believes that the continuation of "sincere and candid" dialogues between the two friendly countries would help advance the bilateral relations on the basis of mutual respect and benefits.
Over the years, Dr Momen said, RAB has emerged as the most efficient law enforcement agency of the government that has been at the forefront of combating terrorism, drug trafficking, human trafficking and other transnational crimes.
“RAB's crucial role in dealing with crimes has generated much confidence among citizens," he said.
RAB has achieved public confidence as it delivers and is not corrupt, and at the same time, as excesses of abuse have dramatically reduced over the last decade, says the government.
It’s unfair to put all the blame of crossfires on RAB: Home Minister
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan on Thursday remarked that putting all the blame of crossfires on the country's elite force Rapid Action Battalion is unfair.
The minister said this when a reporter sought his comment on a statement by12 foreign human rights bodies seeking ban Rab from deployment at UN peacekeeping missions.
He was speaking to journalists after addressing the DC Conference at Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the city.
He said, “They talk about human rights but we can challenge that there is no country where police encounters don’t occur.”
Read: UN Peacekeeping: 12 global HR bodies seek ban on RAB
When someone points arms at police they can’t sit quietly and thus crossfires happen, said the minister. “So I think it’s an injustice being done to Rab by putting all the blame on them,” he said.
The minister said, “Those who created Rab are not liking it anymore. They are spreading propaganda against the force but not highlighting their good works.”
When asked whether RAB is facing political opposition he said, “It’s up to you to decide.”
Asaduzzaman said there was the government wants to turn the country’s security forces into world class.
He said “We have already introduced national emergency service number triple nine like many other countries in the world.”
Twelve international human rights organisations have written a letter to the United Nations Department of Peace Operations seeking a ban on RAB from the UN deployment for its alleged involvement in torture, enforced disappearances, and other human rights violations.
The letter was sent to UN Under-Secretary-General Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) disclosed it on its website on Thursday.
Read: Man to die for killing woman after rape in Ctg
The Department of Peacekeeping Operations has yet to provide a formal response to the letter which was sent privately over two months ago on November 8, 2021.
“If Secretary General Guterres is serious about ending human rights abuses by UN peacekeepers, he will ensure that units with proven records of abuse like the Rapid Action Battalion are excluded from deployment,” said Kerry Kennedy, president of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights. “The evidence is clear; now it’s time for the UN to draw a line.
The organizations that signed the letter are-Amnesty International, Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD),Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), Asian Human Rights Commission, Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL)Capital Punishment Justice Project, CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, Human Rights Watch, International Federation for Human Rights, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, The Advocates for Human Rights and World Organization Against Torture (OMCT).
Four suspected Rohingya militants held
Four suspected Rohingya militants were arrested by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) from the deep forest on the border of Bandarban and Cox’s Bazar districts on Friday.
The arrestees have been identified as Mohammod Nur (32), Nazimullah (34), Md Aman Ullah (23), Md Khairul Amin (19), RAB-15 said in a statement.
Also read: Rohingya ‘drug peddler’ held with 600,000 yaba in Ukhia
Following a tip-off that some Rohingya men had been staying in the forest adjacent to Balukhali-Naikhyangchari road, RAB-15 increased surveillance in the area from the late hours of Thursday.
On Friday, the RAB members spotted two men carrying wood on their heads and arrested all four members of the group as they tried to escape, the statement said.
Also read: Body of abducted Rohingya recovered from Ukhiya camp, 3 detained
4 mugging gang members held in the city
Members of RAB have arrest 4 members of a mugging gang from the city’s Khilgaon area.
The arrestees are Md Rifat, 20, Md Dipu, 19, MD Santo Siddik, 22, and Md Pervaz.
They were arrested on Sunday at around 9.40 pm over a tip-off, read a RAB media release.
READ: Cop held ‘with Yaba pills’ in Khulna
During the arrest operation four switch-gear knives, five pieces of yaba and 25 gm marijuana was seized.
During the primary interrogation the gag members confessed that they have been actively mugging mobile phones, jewelry, cash money etc from the people in the Khilgaon, Rampura, Banashee area for a long time.
Female tourist in Cox’s Bazar was gang raped for extortion money: Rab
Ashiqul Islam Ashique, the prime accused in the case of gang raping a female tourist in Cox’s Bazar, and his associates assaulted the woman after they failed to extort Tk 50,000 from her, Rapid Action Battalion said on Monday.
According to a Rab media release, Ashique, is the mastermind of an organised criminal gang of 30-35 members in the seafront resort town of Cox's Bazar.
Earlier, a team of Rab arrested Ashique, 29, from in Madaripur district on his way to Patuakhali from Dhaka, said Commander Khandaker Al Moin, director of the elite force’s Legal and Media Wing.
The intelligence branch of Rab headquarters, Rab-8 and Rab-15 conducted an operation in the area of Mostafapur bus stand in Madaripur on Sunday night to nab Ashique, the release said.
Moin said Ashique and his associates have been involved in crimes like theft, robbery, kidnap, extortion and drug peddling in Cox's Bazar since 2012.
Also read: Cox's Bazar gang rape: Prime accused Ashiq arrested
Ashique was first arrested in 2014 for possessing illegal arms.
He used to blackmail tourists in collusion with the managers of different hotels, the release added.
In this latest incident on December 21 Ashique and associates committed the crime as the woman and her family refused to pay them Tk 50,000 demanded as extortion money.
Then Ahique and his men abducted the woman from Laboni point of the Beach area and took her Zia Guest Inn Hotel, where she was sexually attacked.
Besides, the woman along with her husband and child went to Cox’s Bazar few days ago. They family needed Tk 10 lakh for the child’s treatment. According to Rab release the family went there for collecting donation from the rich people for the treatment.
Also read: Cox's Bazar gang rape: 3 more arrested, although not prime accused
Rab said Ashique confessed his guilt during primary interrogation.
According to the police, there are 12 previous cases against Ashique, including assault on women, possession of drugs and illegal arms.
Earlier in the day, Cox’s Bazar Tourist Police arrested three more accused in the case- Rezaul Karim Sahabuddin, 25, Mehedi Hasan, 21, and Mamunur Rashid, 28, from different places in Cox’s Bazar district.
Police said the individuals arrested earlier today were found to be involved in the crime indirectly during investigation.
However two other prime accused in the case Esrafil Huda Joy and Mehedi Hasan Babu are still absconding. There are two police cases against Joy, said Additional DIG of Tourist Police of Chattogram Division Mohammad Moslemuddin.
Earlier on Saturday, Riaz Uddin Chhotan, manager of a hotel that was one of two locations where the woman was raped, was arrested and remanded for four days.
With Ashiq, five people have been arrested in the case.
On Friday, the court recorded the victim’s statement, said inspector Ruhul Amin, investigation officer in the case.
On Thursday, the woman’s husband filed the case under the Prevention of Women & Children Repression Act at Cox's Bazar Sadar Model Police Station accusing seven people.
The 22-year-old woman checked into a Cox's Bazar hotel on Wednesday morning with her husband and their eight-month-old baby.
In the afternoon, the family went out for a stroll on the sea beach. At Laboni point, the husband had an altercation with one of the accused - thought to be Ashiq, who has an extensive criminal record and only got out of his last stint in jail 2 weeks ago -after they accidentally bumped into each other.
What started as a small argument soon snowballed into a major altercation and the young man called his accomplices to the spot. Later in the day they kidnapped the family in two auto-rickshaws and took them to a desolate place near the golf club where three of them allegedly violated the woman.
Her ordeal did not end there. The woman was taken to Zia Guest Inn, of which arrested manager Riaz Uddin was a friend of Ashiq's, and there the three accused again took turns to rape her for hours. They released her in the early hours of Thursday and allegedly threatened to kill her family if she narrated her ordeal to anyone.
Lieutenant Colonel Khairul Islam Sarkar, commanding officer of Rab-15, said their team rushed to the family's rescue soon after they got the call from the woman. Earlier calls to 999 proved futile.
Housewife’s rape in Cox's Bazar; seven sued
A case was filed against seven people on Thursday in connection with Wednesday’s gang rape of a woman in Cox's Bazar.
The woman's husband filed the case under the Prevention of Women & Children Repression Act at Cox's Bazar Sadar Model Police Station, said Cox's Bazar police super Md Hasanuzzaman.
Names of four accused and three unidentified men have been mentioned in the case. The four accused are Ashiqul Islam Ashiq, Abdul Jobbar Joy, Babu and Riaz Uddin Chhoton.
The 22-year-old woman came to Cox's Bazar with her husband and their eight-month-old baby on Wednesday morning and checked into a hotel.
In the afternoon, the family went out for a stroll on the sea beach. At Laboni point, the woman's husband had an altercation with one of the accused after he accidentally bumped into the latter.
What started as a small argument soon snowballed into a major altercation and the young man called his accomplices to the spot. They kidnapped the family in two auto-rickshaws and took them to a desolate place near the golf club where three of them allegedly violated the woman.
The woman's ordeal did not end there. The family was taken to Zia Guest Inn from the golf club area, where the three accused again took turns to rape her for hours. They released her in the early hours of Thursday and allegedly threatened to kill her family if she narrated her ordeal to anyone.
Read: Mother-daughter gang raped; 2 arrested
Lieutenant Colonel Khairul Islam Sarkar, commanding officer of Rab-15, said their team rushed to the family's rescue soon after they got the call from the woman.
Human trafficking gang busted in Dhaka, 3 held
The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) claimed to have busted an international human trafficking gang, with the arrest of three men in Dhaka Monday.
The arrestees have been identified as Mollik Razaul Haque Selim, 62, Md Bulbul Ahmed Mollik, 55, and Nironjon Pal, 51.
Tipped off, a team of RAB-4 conducted a drive in Mirpur and Uttara areas of the capital and arrested the three human traffickers on Monday night, said ASP (media) at RAB headquarters, Imran Khan.
Also read: Ringleader of human trafficking syndicate among 8 held in city
During the drive, the elite force also seized fake passports, fake visas stamps, photos, mobile phone sets, SIM cards, cash and other documents from their possession.
During interrogation, they told RAB officials that would lure their potential victims with job offers in countries like Australia, Portugal, the Netherlands, Romania, Greece, France and Malta.
"However, their targets were trafficked to India instead," Imran said.
Also read: Rab arrest three members of a human trafficking gang
Trafficked teenager rescued in Dhaka, 3 arrested
Rab have rescued a teenage girl who was trafficked from Chattogram to Dhaka’s Fakirapul area and arrested three people in this connection, officials said on Friday.
The girl was rescued on Wednesday night from a parked bus of Hanif enterprise at Fakirapul.On the basis of the information given by her, a Rab team on Friday night arrested three traffickers from the capital’s Fakirapul and Gabtali areas.
Read: Ringleader of human trafficking syndicate among 8 held in city
The arrestees are Nayem, 22, son of Osman of Sukhan Dighi village in Chapainawabganj’s Gomstapur, Asaduzzaman Nur, 26, son of Wazed Mandal of Jayantipur village in Rangpur’s Pirganj and Fatema Begum, 30, daughter of Samchu Mia of Cumilla’s Dhola village, confirmed RAB-7 senior assistant director (Media) Flight Lieutenant Niaz Mohammad Chapal.
RAB sources said, on Tuesday RAB-7 received a complaint lodged by Md. Alam of Fatikchhari’s Bhujpur area regarding the disappearance of his daughter.
A man named Alam lodged a written complaint about the disappearance of his daughter at Chattogram’s Hathazari police station. According to the father’s statement, the girl left her house to work as a maid at a house in Hathazari but did not return.
Rab official Flight Lieutenant Niaz said that human traffickers have been trafficking underage girls for the lure of money and marriage.
Read: Trafficked to India 2 years ago 12 teenage girls return home from jail
He said the detainees confessed to trafficking the girl from Chattogram to Dhaka. They are active members of the human trafficking ring and have long been involved in trafficking in underage girls, taking advantage of their poverty and helplessness.
A case has been filed against them, he said.
People did neither accept nor like sanctions on RAB: Momen to Blinken
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has conveyed to US Secretary of State Antony J Blinken that the people of Bangladesh did neither accept nor like the designated sanctions imposed on the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and its some of the present and former officials.
“I shared the spirit of the country’s people. They (people of Bangladesh) didn’t accept it. They didn’t like it,” he told reporters at a media briefing at Foreign Service Academy while responding to a question on his recent telephone conversation with the US Secretary of State.
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen, Secretary (East) Mashfee Binte Shams and Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Muhammad Imran, among others, were present at the media briefing on Indian President Ram Nath Kovind's ongoing three-day state visit to Bangladesh.
Earlier, US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said Secretary Blinken reaffirmed their long-standing partnership with Bangladesh on development, economic growth, and security.
"The two leaders discussed the importance of human rights and agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation and address shared global challenges," said the Spokesperson.
Also read: Blinken calls up FM Momen; discusses bilateral issues
Dr Momen explained why the people of the country did not accept it, noting that the two countries have around 50 years of trusted friendship.
“We discussed all the issues through a number of dialogue platforms. We resolved all issues with our neighbours through discussions. Naturally, we had an expectation that you would inform us beforehand in the case of taking any decision. We didn’t like it,” said the Foreign Minister what he conveyed to his US counterpart.
Dr Momen described RAB as a “very disciplined force free from corruption” and said RAB is working very efficiently as the US has taken a number of initiatives globally against terrorism, human trafficking, crimes and war against drugs.
He said no terrorist attacks took place in Bangladesh after the Holey Artisan incident due to RAB’s efficient handling of the issues.
Also read: Efforts on to change Washington’s decision of sanctions: FM Momen
“People have a lot of confidence in RAB,” Dr Momen said, adding that neither side did talk about withdrawal of the sanctions but laid emphasis on discussions.
In reply, the US Secretary of State said they will discuss as there are scopes for working together in many areas like human rights, democracy, peacekeeping and climate change, said the Foreign Minister.
“I told him that we’re a democratic country,” Dr Momen said, adding that Bangladesh gives much importance on strengthening democracy and addressing human rights issues as the country has a good reputation worldwide.
The Foreign Minister said there are many ongoing dialogue mechanisms between the two countries and suggested the US Secretary of State to call if there are any problems and they are likely to have a meeting in Washington in the coming Spring.
“He was very positive, I should say, the way he responded to us. We’ve a good rapport I should say,” Dr Momen said.
The US Secretary of State made a phone call to Dr Momen on Wednesday evening and discussed issues of mutual interests.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam said on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the Victory of Bangladesh, the US Secretary of State and Foreign Minister Dr Momen spoke over phone at length.
"Both renewed the resolve to take forward the relationship further. They also agreed to increased engagement while celebrating the 50th anniversary of bilateral relationship,” the State Minister tweeted.
Earlier, US Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl R Miller was summoned by Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen on Saturday to convey Dhaka’s “discontent” over the designated sanctions imposed by the US Departments of Treasury and of State on some of the present and former officials of the RAB.
Foreign Secretary Momen expressed Bangladesh’s disappointment that the decision was taken "unilaterally" by the US Administration without any prior consultation with the Government of Bangladesh.
He flagged that the issues that were cited for imposing the designated sanctions remained under active discussions, including under the framework of the regular institutional dialogues between the two sides, and that yet the US decision came without any prior intimation.
The Foreign Secretary regretted that the US decided to undermine an agency of the government that had been on the forefront of combating terrorism, drug trafficking and other heinous transnational crimes that were considered to be shared priorities withU successive US administrations.
Ambassador Miller took note of the concerns raised by the Government of Bangladesh, and assured of conveying the same to his Capital, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
He concurred that the excellent multifaceted relations between two countries could be further deepened through established consultation mechanisms and high level visits.
Ambassador Miller further expressed the willingness of the US Government to remain closely engaged with the Government of Bangladesh in the coming days on issues of mutual interest.
US sanctions on Rab offficals politically motivated, will encourage militancy: Quader
The US sanctions on the IGP and six Rab officiala have been politically motivated, Awami League General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said on Sunday adding that the decision will inspire terrorism and militancy.
At a briefing at his office in the Secretariat this morning Quader said Rab as an elite force has been professional in discharge of its work.
He recalled the contriversial US role during Bangladesh liberation war in 1971 and after assassinaton of Bangabandhu in 1975.
Yet Bangladesh did not allow these issues to stand on way of establishing friendly relations with Washington, he said.
Also read: Sanctions on Rab: Law Minister calls it ‘unfortunate’
He said the US move has hurt Bangladesh when it is celebrating 50 years of its indepence..
The two countries are working from their respective positions on multilateral issues including bilateral and common issues, he said.
Quader said that the Anti-Corruption Commission is playing an independent role in carrying out any investigation but it is unreasonable to impose sanctions on a force chief and former officers by making baseless allegations.
Speaking about human rights, the Awami League general secretary also said that such a decision is a kind of violation of human rights.
He urged them to first look into the human rights situation in their country first.
Obaidul Quader said that the death of George Floyd had shaken the whole world which raised the question about the human rights issue of the US administration.
Obaidul Quader said hat the UN itself had expressed concern over the issue of discrimination and oppression of blacks.
"Where millions of people die each year in gun attacks, the world has witnessed the tragic deaths of five people trying to seize Capital Hill after losing an election. The world has seen the face of American democracy and the face of their human rights," he also added.
Obaidul Quader said that Amnesty International had repeatedly pointed out the weakness of the United States in its indicators of internal democracy and protection of human rights.
Some of Bangabandhu's assassins are still hiding in America, war criminals have also fled there, said Awami League general secretary
Robert Reich, a former US senator of Labor said in a tweet that US law enforcement 984
there have been 8,800 extrajudicial killings by US law enforcement and about 1,000 people die without trial every year, according to various sources.
He said any comment on human rights is not acceptable where ordinary people take to the streets in different cities to protest against extrajudicial killings day after day.
Quader said, "We are sure that some anti-Bangladesh people and evil forces may have political motives behid the decision."
Obaidul Quader said that the people of the country think that their ban on a security force of Bangladesh is political and a despicable attempt to force Bangladesh to surrender to their state of slavery.
Also read: Sanctions on RAB: FM says impact on relations depends on US
Noting that no conspiracy against the people of Bangladesh created through the great liberation war has worked in the past, he added that Bangladesh has turned from a vacuum despite various international conspiracies.
In Palestine, when Israel indiscriminately destroys hundreds of homes, including helpless women and innocent children, by dropping missiles and violating human rights, US foreign policy is in favor of Israel, not even uttering a word.
He added that those responsible for the deaths and displacement of people in the Middle East, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Libya and Yemen are giving the world a sense of human rights today.
Citing mutual trust and confidence as the basis of our friendly relations with the United States, Quader said Bangladesh hoped that the US administration would be more informed and careful in making decisions to advance the existing relationship between the people of the two countries.
He further added that there is an opportunity for any issue to be resolved through dialogue with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Bangladesh has already summoned the US ambassador to express its anger and dissatisfaction, he hoped.
"We believe that the US administration will move away from this irrational and one-sided decision," he also hoped.