New law to ensure RAB’s accountability, transparency: Home minister

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has said the government is drafting a new law aimed at ensuring accountability and transparency of the Rapid Action Battalion, as authorities weigh restructuring the elite force.

"We have taken an initiative to enact a new law. Under that law, a force will exist as an elite unit. Whether RAB will be renamed or whether an entirely new elite force will be formed – the government is still considering that," the minister said while speaking at an event marking RAB's 22nd founding anniversary at the force's headquarters in Dhaka's Kurmitola yesterday.

"Whatever the structure – accountability, transparency and responsibility will be ensured for the elite force. There will be authority, and there will be responsibility, he said, adding, "Their duties will be defined and accountability will be ensured within the same law."

Salahuddin further said, "We hope RAB will conduct all its operations while fully upholding human rights in the days ahead."

The minister said a committee had been formed to prepare the draft law and that experts were working on it. 

"Currently, RAB operates under a specific provision of the Armed Police Battalion. It has been running on an ad hoc basis for a long time, which is not appropriate. We will now enact a separate law for the elite force," he said.

When asked whether the government is taking any initiatives to lift US sanctions on the force, the minister said RAB, as an institution, has been damaged due to the actions of certain officials. 

"Under the erstwhile fascist regime, there was no state institution that was not damaged. The police, army, RAB and BGB – all were affected. But it must be remembered that an institution cannot bear the responsibility for the actions of a few officials," he said.

He added that the government has instructed that the responsible officials be brought to account under the relevant institutional laws. "If some officials go astray, they are personally liable; the institution is not."

The United States imposed sanctions on RAB and several of its former and serving officials on 10 December 2021 over allegations of serious human rights abuses, including enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.

Referring to the sanctions, Salahuddin further said RAB had become involved in certain activities under the government of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and had been used as a political instrument.

"Many institutions were used in this way to establish one-party rule. That is why the sanctions were imposed, which are still in place," he said.

"If we now form or restructure the elite force afresh, there is hope that they may reconsider the matter. Much remains to be done… we shall see."

Asked whether there was any assurance that RAB would not be used politically in future, the minister said the conduct of the current administration over the past three months should be taken into account.

"The current government has been in office for three months. Has RAB, the police or any other force been used for political purposes so far? So, morning shows the day," he said.

On the enforced disappearance of Ilias Ali, Salahuddin said Ilias's wife had filed a case with the International Crimes Tribunal, adding that he had done so as well.

"The strongest judicial framework lies within the ICT law. The Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances [under the interim government] had certain limitations; punitive measures were not clearly defined there," he said.

"If necessary amendments are brought to the ICT law, all types of enforced disappearance cases can be tried under it. There were certain legal limitations, and we are working on those as well."