Worrying attempt at legitimising extrajudicial killings

EDITORIAL

EXTRAJUDICIAL killing has worryingly become the norm. At least 437 people fell victim to extrajudicial killing by the law enforcement agencies and 26 others were forcibly disappeared in the past 10 months. It is not only that the extrajudicial killing is becoming rampant, such criminal acts on part of the law enforcement agencies also appear to have become legitimate to the people affiliated with the ruling party. Recently, the convener of the Kutubdia unit Sramik League, the ruling Awami League’s labour wing, in Cox’s Bazar has asked people allegedly involved in robbery and anti-social or anti-state activities in the locality to surrender to law enforcers or face ‘crossfire’. 

The convener, also a union council member, issued a public notice in this regard and sent it to imams of mosques in the locality for circulation. Contacted about the notice, he further elaborated on how he sees no wrong in acts of such killing. The public notice in question explicitly exposes the way ruling party leaders are approving and legitimising the death of the accused in the hands of law enforcement agencies although it is clearly defined as a punishable offence according to the Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention) Act 2013.

On many occasions, lawmakers are found to be justifying the killing of the accused without trial. In July 2017, Enamur Rahman, lawmaker for the Dhaka 19 constituency, came to be criticised when he told a newspaper how he maintains political control by threatening people in his constituencies with ‘crossfire’ death. He reportedly said that five people had been killed in ‘crossfire’ at his order and 14 more were on a list that he prepared. In the face of widespread criticism, the Awami League even considered an explanation from him. 

Earlier in September, at a public meeting, the minster for primary and mass education said the drug dealers should be killed in firing squads and that they do not deserve to live. Even a cursory review of these statements demonstrates the eschewed and fatally flawed legal values that they have internalised. It further reveals the unethical ties between the law enforcement agencies and lawmakers as the police or Rapid Action Battalion personnel often would take order from them or seek their help to fight crimes. It is evident that the political party in power, instead of taking steps to prevent extrajudicial killing, in effect, used it to maintain political control and suppress its political opponents.

During the past two national elections, the ruling party pledged that it would go by a zero-tolerance policy on extrajudicial killing. The fact that its members issue public notices approving and legitimising the moral failure and criminal misconduct of the members of the law enforcement agencies shows that the Awami League’s electoral pledge was rather rhetorical. Any party forming the government through the next national elections has to do more than rhetorical commitment to end extrajudicial killing.

• Courtesy: New Age /Nov 26, 2018