The United States embassy in Dhaka in a statement on Tuesday said that the US assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian Affairs, Donald Lu, during his visit to Dhaka did not give any timeframe for removal of sanctions on Rapid Action Battalion.
In his recent meetings in the city, he, however, lauded the government for dramatic reduction last year in number of allegations of extrajudicial killings after the sanctions on the RAB.
‘During his meetings in Dhaka, Assistant Secretary Lu did not indicate a timeframe for the removal of RAB sanctions,’ the US embassy’s spokesperson Jeff Ridenour said in the statement.
He said that Assistant Secretary Lu praised the Bangladesh government for the dramatic reduction last year in the number of allegations of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances by the RAB.
‘We applaud the Government of Bangladesh's efforts in these continued reforms and encourage the Bangladesh government to conduct independent investigations of alleged extrajudicial killings.
The statement came a day after home minister Asaduzzaman Khan said that the US sanctions on the RAB would be lifted soon as the US assistant secretary Donald Lu expressed his satisfaction over the RAB’s recent activities.
‘I have discussed some issues with the US assistant secretary Donald Lu in a cordial atmosphere yesterday and informed him about dealing of terrorism, militancy and Islamic extremism,’ the United News of Bangladesh reported quoting the home minister to have told reporters at his secretariat office on Monday.
Quoting the US assistant secretary, Asaduzzaman said that he (Donald Lu) assured Bangladesh that sanctions on RAB would be lifted soon through a process.
Lu arrived in Dhaka on a two-day visit on Saturday and held meetings separately with foreign affairs minister AK Abdul Momen, state minister Md Shahriar Alam and foreign secretary Masud Bin Momen separately at the foreign ministry on Sunday.
He also held separate meetings with law minister Anisul Huq and home minister Asaduzzaman at the Foreign Service Academy later on the day.
