Dhaka, Mar 28 (PTI) Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday criticised the US for imposing sanctions on the country’s elite paramilitary force as “an abominable act.” Virtually addressing the 18th founding anniversary of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), organised at the RAB Forces Headquarters, the Prime Minister said that Bangladesh has internal provisions to punish members of law enforcement agencies if they get involved in criminal activities.
The RAB, an elite paramilitary force of Bangladesh, and seven of its former and current members were slapped with sanctions imposed by the US Treasury Department in 2021, for alleged human rights abuse and abductions.
Hasina called the US sanctions on RAB “an abominable act” after all the success of the elite force in containing militancy, drugs, piracy and terrorism, the Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported.
“It’s a matter of regret that they (US) imposed sanctions on some RAB members without any fault or cause. In their country they do not take any action against any member of their forces for their criminal activities,” she said.
To bring out the disparities in the kind of action taken, she mentioned that in the US, a child was shot dead just for putting his hands in his pockets, and in another case a person was strangled on the street by a law enforcement agency member; “For that reason they did not get punished,” she said.
She said that the US gave shelter to war criminals and the killers of the Father of the nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibar Rehman. She also criticised the US for providing convicted criminals with citizenship.
She noted that even after sending repeated letters and requesting the US to send the killers and war criminals back, they did not comply, but they imposed sanctions on some RAB officials without any fault. PTI PMS AKJ PMS
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Source: The Print
