Dr. Tutul’s mother, Novera Khatun, told journalists at Jhnidah Press Club on July 26th that the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) members had arrested Dr. Tutul from Uttara during the night of Friday July 25th. The police announced that Dr. Tutul is believed to have masterminded the killings of political figures in several regions and became an outlaw. The mother of Dr. Tutul pleaded to the government for the safety of her son and required to bring charges against him and guarantee his right to a fair trial. Despite her mother’s appeal, Mr Tutul was killed in a so-called "shootout" incident only few hours later. Odhikar and FIDH demand an independent judicial inquiry to clarify the circumstances under which Dr. Tutul lost his life. Those responsible should be brought to justice.
FIDH and Odhikar express their deepest concern regarding the extra-judicial killings in Bangladesh. Continued extra-judicial executions in the country under different governments have already in the past become a matter of concern to the international community, governments and international human rights organisations. According to Odhikar, since the declaration of the state of emergency on January 11 2007, a total of 200 persons were killed in various incidents such as crossfire, shootout or gunfight by RAB, the national police and other law enforcement agencies.
Such killings are prohibited by the Bangladesh’ Constitution and national laws, as well as by various international instruments that Bangladesh has ratified1. The government of Bangladesh, as a member of the UN Human Rights Council, should upheld the highest standards in the field of human rights. FIDH and Odhikar call the Bangladeshi authorities to take concrete and immediate measures to fight the impunity prevailing in the country and put an immediate end to extra-judicial executions.