State Dept: US not lifting RAB sanctions
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US imposed sanctions on RAB in December 2021 citing serious rights violations
Washington is not withdrawing its sanctions on the Bangladesh elite police force Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), the US Department of State has said.
Vedant Patel, principal deputy spokesperson for the State Department made the statement while replying to a question at a daily briefing in Washington on Thursday.
His attention was drawn to media reports which quoted the prime minister's advisor Salman F Rahman as saying that the State Department was willing to remove the sanctions.
The advisor briefed the media following a dinner meeting with Donald Lu, assistant secretary of state for South Asia, when the latter visited Dhaka.
"Those claims are false. The US is not withdrawing sanctions against RAB. Those claims are false. Sanctions are intended to change behaviour and promote accountability," the spokesperson said.
On December 10, 2021, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on RAB as well as seven of its current and former officers citing serious human rights violations.
However, the prime minister's adviser Salman F Rahman told reporters after the meeting on Tuesday night that the RAB issue is with the US Department of Justice which is independent and separate from the White House and the State Department. They work independently, he added.
Salman said the White House and the US Department of State were in favour of lifting sanctions on the RAB but it depends on the Department of Justice.