Conclusions and Recommandations

The US decision on December 10, 2021, to impose sanctions on Bangladesh’s elite police unit Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and seven of its current and former officers for serious human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings, has once again brought the issue to the forefront of public discourse. Human rights organizations and families of the victims have been urging the government to bring an end to this practice and hold people who are responsible and accountable. Bangladesh’s official reaction to the sanctions has been predictable as it expressed its discontent. Describing the allegations of human rights violations as “outlandish” and “regrettable,” the Bangladeshi government slammed the United States for leveling these allegations and imposing sanctions unilaterally. Since then, it has doubled down on its denial. After its initial reactions of discontent, the government has decided to set up a dedicated human rights cell in the foreign ministry to ‘look into human rights issues with greater importance and present the facts before the international community by analyzing the situation properly’ (New Age 2022). This action provides an impression that the government has decided to deal with the matter as an issue of foreign relations and engage in efforts to improve its image through campaign rather than address the issue of justice for those who have fallen victim, find the truth, bring an end to the practice, and end the culture of impunity.

The documentation of 591 cases in the past three years show that extrajudicial killings have not only become widespread, but also perpetrators continue to enjoy impunity because of the blanket denial of the government. Unabetted incidents of extrajudicial killings all around the country show that it is being used indiscriminately and has contributed to the emergence of a culture of fear. It has not only taken away lives of those who died but has sent a message to the citizens of potential punitive measures. There have been reports of extortion from innocent citizens and victims using so-called ‘crossfire’.

This and other reports on extrajudicial killings which preceded our project call for immediate actions from the government. The government should take the following steps in earnest:

1. appoint an independent commission with members from the government, representatives of national and international human rights organizations, members of civil society and journalists to investigate each alleged incident of extrajudicial killings of the past decade and bring perpetrators to book;
2. demonstrate unequivocal and unambiguous commitment to the right to life and rule of law; state unambiguously that commission of any unlawful acts will not be tolerated and immediately stop statements and behaviors justifying and rationalizing extrajudicial killings;
3. ensure safety and provide legal and material support to the families of the victims in their pursuance of justice;
4. bring clarity and transparency to the investigation mechanism within law enforcing agencies regarding the allegations of extrajudicial killings;
5. repeal or amend laws regarding law enforcement agencies [for example ‘Good Faith’ clause in section 13 of the of the Armed Police Battalion (Amendment) Act 2003] which provide the impression of impunity to the members of the law enforcing agencies;
6. revamp the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) with inclusion of representatives from human rights organizations, journalists and the legal community empowering it to conduct investigations of human rights violation and ensure full cooperation of the government in the process of any and such investigation.

There are indications that the US sanctions have brought a respite to the extrajudicial killings since December 10. But temporary pause is not a solution to the practices and culture of impunity it has engendered. Instead, it has once again reminded us that the international community has a responsibility to act which can help stop these kinds of blatant human rights violations.