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Bangladesh
'Bangladesh security forces involved in extrajudicial killings'
2007-03-15
Bangladesh’s leading human rights group on Wednesday accused security forces of stealing their Hummers and Beemers carrying out at least 50 extrajudicial killings since the start of emergency rule two months ago. “The 50 died as a result of actions taken by law enforcement agencies,” the group, Odhikar, said in a statement, adding the figures were based on media reports and its own investigations. “Of the 50, at least 26 persons were killed as a result of the activities of the Rapid Action Battalion - 12 by police, six by the army, five by joint forces and one by the navy,” it said.
Tut, tut and tut. I'm sure there must be some mistake.
Yeah, those numbers seem awfully low.
The RAB has a navy?
The interim government has made security and cleaning up graft a cornerstone of its mandate, and has yet to set a date for new democratic elections and an end to the state of emergency. Odhikar said the deaths were the result of “torture” in custody or so-called “crossfire” incidents, and called for an independent inquiry into each one.
How y'gonna do that? Da witnesses is all dead!
Or vanished into the darkness by the fish packing plant, almost as if they were never even there...
Authorities say crossfire deaths occur when suspects resist arrest and officers act in self-defence, or during 2AM trips looking for arms caches escape attempts. In the past, they have not disputed the deaths but have rejected accusations that they were extrajudicial killings. Rights groups, however, suspect that notorious criminals who had previously operated in an atmosphere of impunity had been singled out and eliminated.
Reeeeeeally? Boy. Who'da ever thunkit?
“The Odhikar figures show that the extrajudicial killings are still continuing in Bangladesh,” Odhikar’s acting director, Nasiruddin Elan, told AFP. In January, the New York-based Human Rights Watch said an estimated 300 people had been killed in custody in the previous six months. Many of the alleged victims died after being detained by the Rapid Action Battalion, an elite crime-fighting force created by the last BNP-led government and popular with many ordinary people. The rights group also said the number of arrests nationwide had also risen.
Posted by:Fred

#3  Rights groups, however, suspect that notorious criminals who had previously operated in an atmosphere of impunity had been singled out and eliminated.

oh...the humanity! Have a big steaming cup of STFU
Posted by: Frank G   2007-03-15 12:05  

#2  Hey, ain't the RABs fault the run into a lot of ambushes.
Wonder if the shutter gun's outta the shop yet?
Posted by: tu3031   2007-03-15 11:17  

#1  they have not disputed the deaths
Yup, they're dead all right.
but have rejected accusations
Don't look at us, they're the ones running in front of bullets.
Posted by: Spot   2007-03-15 07:53  

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