Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momin has written a letter to the US Secretary of State, urging the US to lift sanctions against its security forces and six officials.
The Foreign Minister of Bangladesh has made this request in a congratulatory message written to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the occasion of the New Year.
Momin gave this information to the journalists on Sunday. He told me that a few days ago he had a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Blinken.
On the evening of December 15, the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh spoke to the US Secretary of State over the phone. At that time the two foreign ministers talked about the sanctions imposed against the security force Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and military and civilian officials.
what momin said
Apart from writing the letter, in a telephonic conversation, the Bangladeshi Foreign Minister has requested the US Secretary of State to reconsider the ban.
To this, Blinken replied to the Secretary of State that US lawmakers had decided about these sanctions.
Bangladesh's Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momin told reporters, "We told them that for the past 50 years we have had good relations in various ways. We have avenues for dialogue through various means. The people of our country were taken for granted by this sudden Shocked to know about the verdict, it was not expected."
He said about RAB that 'it is a very credible organization, they have reduced terrorism, controlled drugs, and human trafficking and these are your (US) goals, that's why surprised.'
What is the matter
On December 10, on the occasion of International Human Rights Day, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US Ministry of Finance imposed sanctions on 10 organizations and 15 people from several countries.
Apart from Bangladesh, the US imposed several sanctions on China, Russia, Myanmar, and North Korea for "serious human rights abuses". These included Bangladesh's security force Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and six security officers.
These six security officers included former RAB chief and the country's current police chief Benazir Ahmed and current RAB chief Chaudhry Abdullah Al Mamoon, besides some other officials.
Due to these restrictions, now these people will not be able to get US visa and if their properties happen in America then they will be confiscated.
Bangladesh immediately summoned US diplomat Earl Miller after the decision came to the fore and expressed its displeasure. The RAB and the government have termed the allegations of human rights abuses as baseless.
At the time of the ban, Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Momin called it "sad".
After this, Foreign Minister Momin had targeted America itself. He had said that 'You are saying that 600 people have disappeared in 10 years, but in your country (America) 6 million people disappear every year but the US government does not know how it happens.'
He also claimed that the US police "kill thousands of people while on duty" every year. America should have been informed about it.
Momin says that he has also written these things in his letter.
The US Secretary of State has also spoken to Momin on the human rights and democracy situation in Bangladesh.
Momin said, "After this, he talked about democracy. We said that Bangladesh exists only because of free democracy. Democracy is the basis of our country."
Momin also spoke to Blinken about human rights. He said, "I have always been speaking in support of human rights. We have not made any compromise in this matter. Even if RAB did wrong things, we punished them that's why we are writing this to you."
This letter has been sent to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken through the Bangladeshi Embassy in the US.
AK Abdul Momin was asked whether there has been any response from America on this so far, he said that due to Christmas and New Year holidays, there has been no response, but it is expected that a reply can come soon.
Why did America impose sanctions?
The US has imposed sanctions on Bangladesh's Special Security Force (RAB) and six officers associated with it for allegedly engaging in "serious human rights abuses".
The US Treasury Department said in its statement, "During the Bangladesh government's war against drugs, there have been allegations of serious human rights abuses in Bangladesh by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). Rule of law, respect for human rights, fundamental freedoms and Bangladesh Disregarding the economic prosperity of the U.S. people is a threat to American national security interests."
Joint Task Force RAB was formed in 2004. These restrictions have been imposed on six senior police officers, including its former Director General Benazir Ahmed.
Benazir Ahmed was made the police chief of Bangladesh last year. During his tenure in RAB, he was at the forefront of the campaign against terrorist groups in the country. Under his leadership, a campaign was launched against ISIS-inspired JMB terrorists.
In July 2016, 20 people were killed in an operation to rescue hostages at Dhaka's Holy Artisan Bakery.
The US Treasury Department said in its statement that Benazir Ahmed's involvement in "gross human rights violations renders him ineligible to enter the US."
According to the US Treasury Ministry, the decision of these sanctions against Bangladesh has been taken largely based on allegations and reports of many NGOs.
According to the statement, "The NGO has alleged that the RAB and Bangladeshi legal agencies are responsible for the disappearance of more than 600 people since 2009. They are also responsible for 600 extra-judicial killings and torture since 2018. The report also said that members of opposition parties, journalists, and human rights activists have also been targeted in these incidents.
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