Bangladesh blasts DW report as 'false and fallacious'
May 25, 2024
In a rejoinder issued five days after the joint release of the investigation by DW, Netra News, and Süddeutsche Zeitung, Bangladesh's Defense Ministry called DW's documentary "false and fallacious". It was a "misleading portrayal of Bangladesh Army personnel in UN Peacekeeping Missions," the army wrote.
Earlier this week, DW, Netra News and Süddeutsche Zeitung revealed that officers from an elite force in Bangladesh – the Rapid Action Battalion – that commits torture, murder, and abductions, are being sent on UN peacekeeping missions. DW and its partners found more than 100 officers, 40 of them deployed in the last five years.
The Defense Ministry's rejoinder was sent to DW as well as numerous media outlets in Bangladesh. Alongside accusations of factual inaccuracy, the document falsely claimed DW had not sought an official reaction to the investigation. Prior to publication, DW had sent out a list of questions to the home ministry, which oversees the Rapid Action Batallion, and the office of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is also defense minister. None of the above replied to the questions.
Just hours after the investigation was aired, pro-government media and social media accounts launched personal attacks against two of the involved journalists — DW's Arafatul Islam, as well as Tasneem Khalil, editor-in-chief of Netra News.
Personal attacks on journalists
In posts on X, formerly Twitter, and Facebook — along with photos of both of them — they were alleged to be part of a "conspiracy to defame" Bangladeshi peacekeepers. DW, one post claimed, was "trying to tarnish the army by fabricating the story." Another post also attacked a member of Arafatul Islam's family.
Other voices from Bangladesh welcomed the documentary, which addresses issues domestic media often shun. "I think it's a very powerful documentary that is fact-based and has substantiated allegations of victims of extra-judicial killings and forced disappearances," said a prominent lawyer in Dhaka, who spoke on condition of anonymity fearing reprisals. "I hope the UN and the politicians and government agencies will take note of the gruesome and unfortunate facts presented in the documentary."
"The government must find out the source (of the smear campaigns) and take legal actions against those who are propagating this," political commentator Zahed Ur Rahman told DW. Ali Riaz, professor at Illinois State University and specialist on Bangladesh, told DW: "The denial by the Bangladesh government is not sufficient to address the issue. Instead, the UN should take proactive measures immediately."
Press freedom in Bangladesh is severely curtailed, few dare to openly criticize the army and the Rapid Action Battalion.
On Reporters Without Borders' press freedom index, Bangladesh is placed 165th from 180, ranking just above China and Myanmar.
Peacekeeping important source of revenue
Peacekeeping is a particularly touchy issue for the army, given that both individual soldiers and Bangladesh are reimbursed for the missions. According to government figures, Bangladesh has received more than $2.5 billion (€2.3 billion) for peacekeeping missions over the past 23 years.
On Wednesday, a spokesperson for the United Nations Secretary General reacted to a question in a press briefing by stating that the UN was "committed to deploying personnel that meets the highest standards of efficiency and integrity, including respect for and commitment to human rights."
On Friday, a spokesperson for the German Foreign Ministry called on the United Nations to investigate the allegations: "In the past, the United Nations have always reacted swiftly, opened investigations and dealt with these matters. This needs to be investigated and we have no reason to expect that it will be dealt with differently this time."