The InternationalCovenant on Civil and Political Rights: A Study on Bangladesh Compliance
Incidents of 'Cross-fire
No. of 'Cross-fire
350
RAB
Police
Joint Forces/Other
Total
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
2005
2005
2007
2008
2009
2010
stories that fit either ‘crossfire’ or ‘encounter’.
During the period between June 2004 and December 2010,
there were nearly 1,500 reported cases of extra-judicial
killings, of which 1,200 were depicted as incidents of ‘crossfire’. Of these ‘cross-fire’ incidents, 614 were reported to
have been committed by the RAB alone, while the rest had
been conducted by police, other forces, or joint forces
composed of police, RAB and BGB (Border Guards of
Bangladesh) (formerly BDR – Bangladesh Rifles).72 In most
cases, the government did not take comprehensive
measures to investigate cases, despite public statements by
high-ranking officials that the government would show “zero
tolerance” and would fully investigate all extrajudicial killings
by security forces.
Thus, there were no developments in the May-2009 case, in
73
US Department of States, Annual Human Rights Reports 2010, Bangladesh
Chapter (released on April 8, 2011), available at:
<http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2010/sca/154478.htm>.
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