They include Benazir Ahmed, previously the RAB chief and currently the national head of the South Asian country’s more than 200,000-strong police force. “We are determined to put human rights at the centre of our foreign policy, and we reaffirm this commitment by using appropriate tools and authorities to draw attention to and promote accountability for human rights violations and abuses,” said Secretary of State Antony Blinken. One of the sanctioned individuals, RAB deputy chief K.M Azad, defended the force’s operations, saying it never violates human rights. “If bringing down a criminal under the law is a violation of human rights, then we have no objection to violating this human rights in the interest of the country,” he said. But it has been dogged by controversies and accused of gross human rights violations, including staging gunfights to kill alleged criminals.

Source: The Guardian December 11, 2021 10:45 UTC