On International Human Rights Day, December 10th, the United States imposed sanctions on seven former and current officers of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) for alleged human rights violations. The US Treasury Department and the State Department separately imposed the ban.
Bangladesh is preparing to take legal action in a US court on the issue of US sanctions. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md. Shahriar Alam said a decision would be taken within a week.
- US Treasury Department and the State Department separately imposed the ban.
- The process of hiring a lobbyist or lawyer is underway.
- Bangladesh does not want any third country to mediate on the ban on RAB.
Shahriar Alam said, ‘the process of hiring a lobbyist or lawyer to speak on our behalf is underway. We have talked to three law firms in the United States’. The state minister also stated that, Bangladesh does not want any third country to mediate on the ban on RAB. Bangladesh has the capacity to handle this. Whether it is a legal system or a diplomatic initiative, Bangladesh do not want to involve any third state.
“We will have high-level meetings with the United States in March and April,” Shahriar added. People of Bangladesh is observing the issue and they want to see a fair end to the dispute.
