 Bangladesh on Sunday defended a controversial crime-fighting unit after the European Parliament accused it of extra-judicial killings, saying criminals are killed in crossfire in other parts of the world as well. The 4,000-strong Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), comprising soldiers and police officials, is credited with cutting crimes such as extortion by half since it was created a little over a year ago to tackle law and order in Bangladesh. But the force has also been criticised because of the high number of alleged criminals killed in shoot-outs or crossfire.
| Oh, but that's a rare occurrence, isn't it? |
| Only happens when it's dark |
| Have to admire efficiency in the third world ... |
"I don't know of any country in the world where some criminals have not been killed in crossfires," Foreign Minister Morshed Khan was quoted as saying by the official BSS news agency.
| Yeah, but Bangla somehow manages to bump them off at a fairly rapid rate... |
The minister said countries such as the United States, Britain, and various European countries have laws on their books, which defend these killings. Last week, the European Parliament adopted a resolution urging the Bangladesh government to put an end to the anti-crime operations of the Rapid Action Battalion. It said it was concerned that the "... deterioration of Bangladesh's human rights' situation is also linked to the activities of forces officially responsible for enforcement of law and order as the government has set up a new paramilitary force, named the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and several people have been killed while in custody of the RAB." Crime is a major political issue in Bangladesh and the country's four-party alliance government came to power in 2001 with a manifesto to tackle law and order problems. A leading Bangladeshi human rights group, Ain-O-Salishi Kendro (Law and Justice Centre), too, has accused the RAB of carrying out extra-judicial killings and demanded an inquiry into each death. |