Editor's Pick: U.S. sanctions RAB officials

In a move that shocked the Sheikh Hasina government, the U.S. Department of Treasury imposed sanctions on some of the officials of Bangladesh's Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) for human rights abuses. Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Masum bin Momen summoned U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl R. Miller to convey Dhaka's displeasure over the move. The RAB is a joint task force and its mandate includes gathering intelligence related to crime, fighting terrorism and drugs, etc. Bangladesh said it regretted the fact that the U.S. had attempted to undermine such an important agency whose tasks were considered shared priorities of both governments On International Human Rights Day on December 10, the U.S. designated 15 individuals and 10 entities "for their connection to human rights abuse and repression in several countries". Apart from imposing "investment restrictions on one company in connection with the surveillance technology sector" of China's economy, highlighting the human rights abuses enabled by the technology, the Department also imposed sanctions on North Korean and Myanmar. In addition, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said on Friday that a Sri Lankan intelligence officer was also being sanctioned. The U.S. designated six officials of Bangladesh and slapped a visa ban on one of them - the former Director General of RAB. Many NGOs have alleged that RAB is responsible for more than 600 disappearances since 2009, nearly 600 extrajudicial killings since 2018, and torture. The Bangladesh Foreign Minister has reportedly said that there is no information on who has disappeared and that millions disappear in the U.S. annually but no authority is punished for it. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs has refused to comment on the issue as this is Bangladesh's internal matter and India maintains good relations with both the U.S. and Bangladesh. Indian also just returned from the Democracy Summit to which Bangladesh was not invited. However, that the U.S. can impose sanctions on Bangladesh security forces raises hackles in India that it could do the same here. Earlier this year, the U.S. State Department in its annual report pointed to human rights abuses in India, including in Kashmir. As this move hurts U.S.-Bangladesh ties and could have implications for India, it is the top pick of the day. The Hindu Explains Explained | Which States in the N.E. are under AFSPA Explained | Two Omicron variants Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Head over to our newsletter subscription page to sign up for Editor's Pick and more. Click here Try out The Hindu's daily news quiz Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code deals with what? 1. Corruption 2. Drug Peddling 3. Sedition 4. Homicide To find out the answer and play the full quiz, click here. [logo] Editor's Pick 12 DECEMBER 2021 [The Hindu logo] In the Editor's Pick newsletter, The Hindu explains why a story was important enough to be carried on the front page of today's edition of our newspaper. [Arrow]( [Open in browser]( [Mail icon]( [More newsletters]( U.S. sanctions RAB officials [U.S. sanctions RAB officials] In a move that shocked the Sheikh Hasina government, the [U.S. Department of Treasury imposed sanctions]( on some of the officials of Bangladesh's Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) for human rights abuses. Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Masum bin Momen summoned U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl R. Miller to convey Dhaka's displeasure over the move. The RAB is a joint task force and its mandate includes gathering intelligence related to crime, fighting terrorism and drugs, etc. Bangladesh said it regretted the fact that the U.S. had attempted to undermine such an important agency whose tasks were considered shared priorities of both governments On International Human Rights Day on December 10, the U.S. designated 15 individuals and 10 entities "for their connection to human rights abuse and repression in several countries". Apart from imposing "investment restrictions on one company in connection with the surveillance technology sector" of China's economy, highlighting the human rights abuses enabled by the technology, the Department also imposed sanctions on North Korean and Myanmar. In addition, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said on Friday that a Sri Lankan intelligence officer was also being sanctioned. The U.S. designated six officials of Bangladesh and slapped a visa ban on one of them - the former Director General of RAB. Many NGOs have alleged that RAB is responsible for more than 600 disappearances since 2009, nearly 600 extrajudicial killings since 2018, and torture. The Bangladesh Foreign Minister has reportedly said that there is no information on who has disappeared and that millions disappear in the U.S. annually but no authority is punished for it. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs has refused to comment on the issue as this is Bangladesh's internal matter and India maintains good relations with both the U.S. and Bangladesh. Indian also just returned from the Democracy Summit to which Bangladesh was not invited. However, that the U.S. can impose sanctions on Bangladesh security forces raises hackles in India that it could do the same here. Earlier this year, the U.S. State Department in its annual report [pointed to human rights abuses in India]( including in Kashmir. As this move hurts U.S.-Bangladesh ties and could have implications for India, it is the top pick of the day. [underlineimg] The Hindu Explains [Arrow][Explained | Which States in the N.E. are under AFSPA]( [Arrow][Explained | Two Omicron variants]( [underlineimg] Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Head over to our newsletter subscription page to sign up for Editor's Pick and more. [Click here]( Try out The Hindu's daily news quiz Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code deals with what? 1. Corruption 2. Drug Peddling 3. Sedition 4. Homicide To find out the answer and play the full quiz, [click here](. 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