Washington, D.C., May 17, 2024 - The United States has confirmed that sanctions against Bangladesh's elite force, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), will remain in place. Principal Deputy Spokesperson at the U.S. Department of State, Vedant Patel, refuted claims suggesting the withdrawal of these sanctions, labeling such assertions as false.
 
"The U.S. is not withdrawing sanctions against the RAB," Patel stated during a regular briefing at the Department of State. He emphasized that sanctions are designed to alter behavior and promote accountability.
 
No official from the Bangladeshi government has claimed that the U.S. is lifting the sanctions, leading to questions about the origin of these false reports.
 
Salman Fazlur Rahman, the Prime Minister's Private Industry and Investment Adviser, clarified that the matter rests with the U.S. Department of Justice, which operates independently from the White House and the State Department. "The issue is moving through a process," Salman noted, following a dinner discussion with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu, who visited Bangladesh last week.
 
In January 2023, Donald Lu acknowledged the "tremendous progress" made by RAB in respecting human rights while performing its duties. Lu highlighted significant advancements in reducing extrajudicial killings, as noted by Human Rights Watch, and praised RAB's ability to balance its counterterrorism and law enforcement roles with human rights considerations.
 
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