Foreign secretary summons US ambassador

Foreign secretary Masud Bin Momen has summoned US ambassador to Dhaka Earl R Miller after the US treasury department and state department imposed sanctions on seven current and former officials of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB).

Earl Miller was summoned to the State Department on Saturday (December 11) by the foreign secretary.

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen came up with the disclosure after a function at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital.

The US government imposed sanctions on seven officials, including former RAB chief and current Inspector General of Police Benazir Ahmed, for ‘grave human rights abuses’.

As a result of the ban, Bangladesh’s top police officer, Benazir Ahmed, will not be allowed to enter the United States.

The list includes Benazir Ahmed along with former RAB-7 captain Mifta Uddin Ahmed in Cox's Bazar.

The statement added that Benazir Ahmed and Miftah Uddin Ahmed and their family members would not be allowed to enter the United States as they were added to the sanctions list.

In 2018, Ekramul Haque, a Teknaf municipal councilor and former president of the Upazila Juba League, was banned due to an anti-drug campaign for ‘involvement in serious human rights abuses, including extrajudicial killings.

On Friday, on the occasion of International Human Rights Day, the US Treasury Department announced the imposition of sanctions on the 15 individuals and 10 organizations in various countries for serious human rights violations.

Separately, the names of 12 officials from different countries have been included in the list of travel bans in the United States.