Extrajudicial killings can’t be tolerated : British Minister

Staff Reporter Dhaka : Visiting UK Minister of State for International Development Desmond Swayne on Tuesday said extrajudicial killings cannot be tolerated in any democratic country and called for bringing the ‘perpetrators’ to justice.

“Bangladesh is a democracy, and it’s essential that democratic values should be preserved and maintained. That means you can’t tolerate extrajudicial killings,” he told a press conference while responding to a Jatirkhantha question.

Swayne also said it is essential that those crimes are investigated and the perpetrators are brought to justice. “So, it’s for the government and police to ensure those crimes are investigated.”

The UK junior minister came up with the observation when asked whether the government is taking adequate steps to investigate the
allegations of extrajudicial killings.

Swayne, however, said he is not in a position to make a judgment on the basis of his three-day visit.Earlier, he announced up to 3 million pounds to help Bangladesh’s flood victims.

The press conference was held British High Commission Staff Club in the city. British High Commissioner in Dhaka Robert W Gibson and DFID Country head Sarah Cooke were present.

Swayne highly appreciated Bangladesh’s achievements in terms of implementing MDGs and hoped that the country will equally be able to achieve the newly set Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) addressing all the issues, including the governance one.

He described Bangladesh’s MDGs success as stunning one, and explained that he laid emphasis on governance issue because it is new in the new set of 17 goals — SDGs.

On the commitment by the Bangladesh Prime Minister made at the Girls Summit, Swayne said it would very unwelcoming and very unfortunate if any changes in the law gives any wrong signal (marriage below 18 for girls). “You have to be very, very careful in defining the expectations you have.”