Bangladesh
RAB Sanctions RAB proposes partial lifting of ban
Dhaka, April 9: Bangladesh has proposed to the United States to partially lift the ban on RAB. US Secretary of State Masood bin Momen met with US Deputy Secretary of State Owendi Sherman at the State Department in Washington on Thursday. At the time, he proposed a partial lifting of the ban.
A statement from the Foreign Ministry on Friday stated that the Foreign Secretary had raised the issue of sanctions against the RAB. He expressed concern that this could weaken Bangladesh's efforts to combat terrorism, violent extremism and international crime. The Secretary of State called on the United States to consider the suspension of the RAB and a number of former and current RAB officials from the sanctions list, as well as a partial waiver of the sanctions in light of the amendments to the agency's procedures.
A statement from the State Department's Office of the Spokesman stated that During the meeting, Momen-Sherman celebrated the 50th anniversary of US-Bangladesh relations and discussed bilateral economic, trade and security cooperation. They also discussed measures to promote security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region. Deputy Secretary Sherman emphasized the importance of protecting human rights, the rule of law and freedom of expression.
Apart from RAB issues, the meeting also discussed digital security laws, labor rights, elections, return of Rashed Chowdhury, Rohingya issue, Covid cooperation, Indo-Pacific and ongoing Ukraine issues.
When the Deputy Secretary asked the Foreign Secretary about the latest developments in the Digital Security Act, he gave a detailed explanation. The secretary said the government was working with the European Union (EU) to re-evaluate the law and identify potential flaws.
