‘Working to protect human rights, not to violate’: RAB commander

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), as an entity, has been working to protect human rights since its formation and not to violate those, said Commander Al Moin, director of RAB legal and media wing, on Saturday. 

He said this at a press briefing while replying to questions from journalists on the sanctions imposed by the United States on RAB and its seven current and former officials over the allegation of violating human rights. The briefing was held at RAB’s Karwan Bazar media centre.

Commander Moin said RAB has so far lost 28 of its 9,000 members in different operations and got 2,000 injured and 1,000 maimed.

He said Bangladesh has been able to tackle militancy and free the Sundarbans from robbers due to RAB’s constant efforts.

RAB has been working to bring back the militants and forest robbers to normal life through rehabilitating them alongside working to protect human rights, the RAB commander insisted.

“We’ve not received any official letter regarding the sanctions yet. We’ll take steps upon receiving the official letter,” said Moin.

He said there is no scope to break laws as a RAB official as this elite force is much stricter than any other force when it comes to punishing its members for defying laws.

The United States on Friday imposed human rights-related sanctions on Benazir Ahmed, current Inspector General of the Bangladesh Police and former Director-General of RAB, and six other individuals on the occasion of International Human Rights Day.

The US Department of State announced visa restrictions on Benazir Ahmed, which it says, due to his “involvement in gross violations of human rights” making him ineligible for entry into the United States.

RAB as an entity, Benazir Ahmed, and six other officials were designated by the Department of the Treasury under the Global Magnitsky sanctions programme in connection with serious human rights abuse, said the US Department of State.