UN condemns bloodbath in Bangladesh that has seen 140 alleged drug dealers killed amid crackdown
More than 140 alleged drug dealers have been killed and 18,000 people arrested in just three weeks in Bangladesh, in a crime crackdown that has sparked condemnation from the United Nations, reports abcnews.
Key points:
- The 140 killed were drug dealers who died in shootouts with police or rival gangs, the government says
- The snap anti-narcotics campaign tackles the spread of popular methamphetamine “yaba”
- Human rights organisations say anti-drug police unit has a history of extrajudicial killings
Human rights organisations have accused Bangladesh’s Government of carrying out extrajudicial killings that mirror the heavy-handed tactics used by Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte in his country’s drug war.
The United Nations has condemned the bloodbath in Bangladesh, which began three weeks ago.
“Even if people have been selling or using drugs that does not mean you have the right to kill them, they need to have the right to due process,” said Ravina Shamdasani, the spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-08/more-than-130-drug-dealers-killed-in-bangladeshi-war-on-drugs/9847988