# Inside the Death Squad

Inside the Death Squad or "'Death squad': Inside Bangladesh's Rapid Action Battalion" is a documentary film produced by Deutsche Welle in partnership with Netra News that investigates allegations of extrajudicial killings and human rights abuses committed by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), an elite police force in Bangladesh. The documentary features interviews with former RAB officers, witnesses, and human rights activists, and includes footage of alleged killings and interviews with family members of victims. The RAB has been accused of carrying out extrajudicial killings and human rights abuses in Bangladesh. The documentary sheds light on the tactics used by the RAB, including torture, enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial killings, and raises important questions about the use of state violence and the government's role in protecting human rights.

## Background

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) was established on July 12, 2003, through the Armed Police Battalion (Amendment) Act, 2003. Between 2004 and 2008, RAB was responsible for the deaths of 1,062 individuals. Human Rights Watch has accused RAB of numerous deaths that have been attributed to crossfire. In March 2010, the RAB leader claimed that 622 deaths were due to crossfire, while some human rights organizations maintained that the battalion was responsible for more than 1,000 extrajudicial killings. There have also been numerous reports of torture associated with the battalion's activities. According to Human Rights Watch, members of RAB have shot and killed women and children during public protests, leading some to describe it as a "death squad."
According to a report by human rights organization Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), families of victims and witnesses blamed RAB for the disappearance of 83 people, while the detective branch was blamed for 38, "law enforcers" for 55, and plainclothes men for 20 others between January 2007 and August 2014.
On October 27, 2020, the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee wrote a letter to the United States Secretary of State and the United States Secretary of the Treasury, urging them to impose sanctions on senior officials of the Rapid Action Battalion for their human rights violations. On December 10, 2021, the U.S. Department of the Treasury added RAB to its Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list under GLOMAG. Additionally, six individuals associated with RAB, including its Director General Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, former DG Benazir Ahmed, and ADG Colonel KM Azad, were sanctioned. Entities on the list have their assets blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from dealing with them.

## Content

The documentary alleges that the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has been involved in extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and the torture of suspects. It provides several examples of alleged human rights abuses committed by the RAB, including the case of a man who was reportedly tortured to death while in RAB custody. The documentary also cites reports by human rights organizations that have accused the RAB of carrying out "crossfire" killings, which are allegedly staged encounters with suspects that result in their deaths. The documentary includes interviews with activists and experts who have criticized the RAB's tactics and called for its abolition. It also features interviews with two former leaders of the RAB, who admit to wrongdoing.

## Reaction

On April 7, 2023, the United States announced that it will review the allegations made against the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) in the documentary. However, the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh, AK Abdul Momen, dismissed the documentary and made a comment that it was funny. The documentary received the 2024 Human Rights Press Award.