Dear friends,
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from local human rights organisation Odhikar that the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) caused a man to disappear. After his abduction, they ex-filtrated him from among a group of criminals. The reason for this was the failure of the family to pay bribes. Officers of the RAB-2 demanded Taka One Hundred Thousand in cash on condition of releasing Mr. Mohammad Imam Hassan to his father, Mr. Ruhul Amin. The family paid Taka Forty Thousand to RAB’s Sub- Inspector Raju, who insisted the rest of the amount be paid for returning Imam home. The victim’s father was threatened that failure would result in the death of his son. The family had been denied access to the country’s mechanism for registering a complaint. Now, seven and half months later, Imam has still not materialized. No official institution in Bangladesh has helped the victim’s family to locate and bring back their family member. Of the RAB officers involved, not one has been held accountable by the judicial or the administrative authorities in this serious matter.
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SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write to the authorities of Bangladesh urging them to release Mohammad Imam Hassan( Badal) immediately. Please ask them to ensure a credible investigation by competent judicial officers so that the law-enforcement agencies are prevented from covering up their habitual crimes. The alleged perpetrators of RAB and police must be punished through a fair and speedy trial. The family should be afforded adequate protection by the authorities. Monetary compensation to be paid by the perpetrators, for severely harassing the family, which has endured unimaginable suffering through these series of incidents.
The AHRC has written a separate letter to the UN Working Group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearance and Working Group on Arbitrary Arrest and Detention calling for their interventions into this matter.
link to statement on AHRC Website: http://www.humanrights.asia/news/urgent-appeals/AHRC-UAC-190-2012
statement-AHRC-Rapid Action Batallion bribery-2012-eng (full text in English, PDF)
