14 June 2011
Protesting
Extra-Judicial
Killings by RAB
in Bangladesh
We are
distressed by
the
extra-judicial
killing of
criminals,
suspects and
civilians by law
enforcers in
Bangladesh,
especially by
members of the
Rapid Action
Battalion (RAB).
Since the inception of the RAB in March 2004, according to Bangladeshi human rights activists, more than 1000 unarmed civilians have been killed by the 'death squads' of the RAB.
If the government has lost confidence in the judiciary and non-paramilitary police forces, then it needs to reform those organizations. The proper mechanism for law enforcement is through the offices of the Inspector General of Police and the Public Prosecutors, not a group of motivated killers.
The existence of RAB as a killing machine without any accountability tarnishes Bangladesh’s image as a liberal, tolerant, and modern country.
Despite worldwide condemnation by human rights organizations such as The Amnesty International, many high officials, ministers and advisers of the Government of Bangladesh have been blatantly defending the RAB killings in the name of restoring 'law and order.'
We strongly condemn the actions of RAB. We recommend that all police and crack special forces be consolidated under the command of the Inspector General of Police.
No civilized country in the world can justify 'Extra-Judicial Killing' as part of its legal system. It is nothing but a travesty of justice and the rule of law.
In view of the above, we the undersigned, representing the Voice for Justice World Forum, demand that
· RAB be dismantled with immediate effect so that the government can focus on modernizing and strengthening the regular Bangladesh Police Force to oversee law and order in the country.
· Combined Operation Indemnity Act 2003 (Joutha Avijan Daimukti Aeen 2003) be repealed immediately, to bring everyone under the common laws of the land, enabling people of all faiths and political persuasions to live in a free, secure and democratic society.
We trust that such will indeed be the case soon.
Dr. Hasanat M.
Husain MBE,
Convener, Voice
for Justice
World Forum, UK
Dr. Hasan Z
Rahim, Voice For
Justice, San
Jose,
California, USA
Mr. Saleh Rahim
Ahmed,
Voice For
Justice,
Deptford, Essex,
UK
Dr. Taj Hashmi,
Voice For
Justice,
Honolulu, USA
Mr. M. Shah
Jahan, Voice For
Justice, New
Jersey, USA
Dr. Matin Ahmed,
Voice For
Justice,
California,
USA
Mr. Hasan
Mahmood, Voice
For Justice,
Toronto, Canada
Dr. Sajedur
Rahman, Voice
for Justice,
Sydney,
Australia
Mr. Sadiqur
Rahman, Voice
For Justice,
London, UK
Dr. Shamsul
Islam Choudhury,
Voice For
Justice,
Chicago, USA
Mr. Enam
Choudhury, Voice
for Justice,
Stockholm,
Sweden
Dr. Abdur Rahman,
Voice for
Justice,
Limerick,
Ireland
VFJ Shamsul Alam
Liton, Secretary
Civil Rights
Forum, UK
Dr. Chinmoy
Banarjee, South
Asian Network
for Secularism
and Democracy
VFJ Rahnuma
Ahmed,
Shonggoboddho
Nagorik Shomaj
Mr. Ezajur
Rahman, Voice
For Justice,
Kuwait
Mr. Gulzar Ahmed, Voice
For Justice,
Vienna, Austria
Mr. Colin Short,
Voice For
Justice, London,
UK
Ms. Michele
Rowe, Voice for
Justice,
Melbourne,
Australia
Mr. J. F.
Oldenhuizing,
Voice for
Justice,
Amsterdam,
Netherlands
Dr. Jasmine
Tickle,
Voice for
Justice,
Cambridge,
UK
Barrister M.A. Muid Khan, Voice for Justice, Surrey, UK
Mrs. Jannat Ara
Rasheed, Voice
For Justice,
Auckland, New
Zealand
Syed Mahmud Husain, Voice
For Justice,
Singapore
Prof. Kazi Nurul
Islam, Chairman,
Department of
World Religions
and Culture,
University of
Dhaka,
Bangladesh
Dr. Husne Ara
Huq,
Voice For Justice, East London, UK
http://www.voiceforjustice.org