Strong objection to the speech of Human Rights. Human Rights Watch itself is 'notorious' - RAB

Dhaka Times Report. RAB has strongly contested the allegations raised by Human Rights Watch. Human Rights Watch itself is 'notorious', RAB said.

Yesterday, on July 4, the international human rights organization Human Rights Watch strongly protested against the allegations raised against the RAB. Rejecting allegations of human rights violations, RAB claimed that the Human Rights Watch (HRW) report was baseless and fabricated. RAB questioned the purpose of this report of the international organization. RAB also claimed that the infamous face of that organization has been exposed through this.

On the morning of July 4, at a press conference at BRAC Center, the New York-based international human rights organization Human Rights Watch published a report recommending the abolition of the RAB, accusing BDR members of torture.

The international human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) held a press conference at the BRAC Inn Center in Mohakhali, the capital, and released a 57-page research report titled 'Fear Does Not Leave Me: Deaths in Custody, Torture and Biased Trials After the 2009 BDR Rebellion'. The organization In that report, BDR members expressed concern about whether they would get justice, made various allegations in this regard and made some recommendations to the government. It was attended by Brad Adams, Executive Director of the Asia Division of the organization, Tejshree Thapa of the South Asia Division of the same organization and Noor Khan, Director of the Center for Law and Arbitration.

Referring to the report at the press conference, Brad Adams, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch's 'HRW' Asia Division, said that BDR members suspected of the 2009 BDR rebellion and murders in Bangladesh were severely tortured in state custody. At least 47 people have died. The trial of this mutiny and murder in the Special Tribunal is a biased public trial. The notorious Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) was allegedly involved in many of these tortures.

Director Brad Adams said the RAB should be disbanded to create a civilian unit or new agency within the police that would put human rights at the heart of the fight against crime and terrorism. The agency also called for 'genuine and meaningful' steps to address long-standing allegations of widespread torture and ill-treatment by the RAB, DGFI and other security forces. He said that those who are trying the accused in the case of BDR rebellion are the people of the executive department of the government. Those who are judges are not people of the judiciary. He said that they met the Home Minister on Tuesday about their report. However, the minister believes that human rights have not been violated in that trial.

The report shows a detailed description of the rebellion, along with documented incidents of torture by government forces against suspected rebels. A total of 60 people have been interviewed, including family members of victims and victims, lawyers of both sides. It describes various forms of torture, including 'pulling out fingernails and toenails', 'giving electric shocks' and 'hanging upside down from the ceiling'.

According to the HRW report, the organization is concerned that these trials are being conducted as public trials. Where more than eight hundred accused are being tried simultaneously. About 4,000 BDR members have already been convicted through public trials in special tribunals. Even 847 people were tried in a single case on charges of murder and other serious crimes in specially constituted civil courts (special courts) under the Code of Criminal Procedure. Many of the offenses included in the case are punishable by death.

After this, RAB held a counter press conference in Uttara in the afternoon. At that time, Commander M. Sohail, Director of Law and Media Branch of RAB, said that this human rights organization has published an objective report at the instigation of some indigenous human rights organizations. There may be an effort to implement a particular agenda behind the release of this report. M. Sohail said, RAB has no involvement with BDR's case. As a result, there is no question of torturing someone in RAB custody. CID investigated the case, RAB did not. The BGB is proceeding with the prosecution in accordance with its own laws. Therefore, the allegations of torture by RAB on the suspects and accused in the BDR rebellion incident are completely false and baseless. The RAB official said that before publishing news or complaints about any organization by any organization, it is customary to take the statement of the concerned organization to verify the matter. However, human rights organization Human Rights Watch did not take any statement from RAB even though they accused RAB of torturing the rebel BDR members.

It should be noted that in recent times the attitude of foreign organizations to poke their nose in the internal affairs of the country has appeared in a very large form, which is naturally not acceptable. Moreover, human rights organizations can file complaints against any law enforcement agency in a country. But that does not mean that the organization should be dissolved.