2008 Woodie Awards
U.N. accuses Bangladeshi police of unlawful executions
Brice Tarleton
Issue date: 4/13/07 Section: World
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U.N. Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Executions Philip Alston has accused Bangladeshi security forces of using murder as a means of law enforcement. In particular, Alston implicates the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), an anti-crime and anti-terrorism elite task force.
"The government of Bangladesh must stop the Rapid Action Battalion and other elite security forces from using murder as a policing technique," Alston said to The Daily Star, a South African newspaper.
In his investigation, Alston specifically calls 27 suspicious deaths into question. He reports that authorities have not responded to his request for additional information on these deaths.
Bangladeshi authorities have labeled the deaths as accidental, attributing them to crossfire between police and criminals, who opened fire first on the security forces.
Alston said to The Daily Star in response, "The pattern of incidents would suggest that what the police and special forces report as crossfire deaths are in fact staged extrajudicial executions."
RAB was established in March 2004. Since its emergence, more than 400 people have been killed in crossfire, approximately two or three people each week.
Law Minister Moudud Ahmed said to BBC News, "All those who have died in the crossfire are known terrorists and criminals of the country. When the people see that this criminal (is dead), they celebrate."
Ahmed was instrumental in the establishment of RAB.
The fatalities occur so frequently that a new term has been coined in the country - "death by crossfire."
"The law and order situation was bad and it had to be contained," said Ahmed to BBC News. "Our police are inadequate. They do not have sophisticated weapons nor do they have sufficient training. It is not possible to raise the whole police to a sufficient standard."
A solution came in the form of RAB, consisting of members from the Bangladeshi army, navy, air force, and police. RAB is responsible for apprehension of armed gangs of criminals, intelligence gathering and investigations of offenses against the government. They patrol 16 high-crime areas of Bangladesh.
"The government of Bangladesh must stop the Rapid Action Battalion and other elite security forces from using murder as a policing technique," Alston said to The Daily Star, a South African newspaper.
In his investigation, Alston specifically calls 27 suspicious deaths into question. He reports that authorities have not responded to his request for additional information on these deaths.
Bangladeshi authorities have labeled the deaths as accidental, attributing them to crossfire between police and criminals, who opened fire first on the security forces.
Alston said to The Daily Star in response, "The pattern of incidents would suggest that what the police and special forces report as crossfire deaths are in fact staged extrajudicial executions."
RAB was established in March 2004. Since its emergence, more than 400 people have been killed in crossfire, approximately two or three people each week.
Law Minister Moudud Ahmed said to BBC News, "All those who have died in the crossfire are known terrorists and criminals of the country. When the people see that this criminal (is dead), they celebrate."
Ahmed was instrumental in the establishment of RAB.
The fatalities occur so frequently that a new term has been coined in the country - "death by crossfire."
"The law and order situation was bad and it had to be contained," said Ahmed to BBC News. "Our police are inadequate. They do not have sophisticated weapons nor do they have sufficient training. It is not possible to raise the whole police to a sufficient standard."
A solution came in the form of RAB, consisting of members from the Bangladeshi army, navy, air force, and police. RAB is responsible for apprehension of armed gangs of criminals, intelligence gathering and investigations of offenses against the government. They patrol 16 high-crime areas of Bangladesh.
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