the oldest 65, and all were male. Case studies in the report document some of the torture and killings in depth.

Of all reported RAB killings, 32 percent took place in Dhaka division, followed by Khulna division with 29 percent. But the number of killings to population size was by far the highest in Khulna.

The report provides a history of RAB and a description of its structure and top commanders, many of whom have served in United Nations peacekeeping operations. Bangladesh is currently the second largest contributor of troops to UN peacekeeping operations around the world.

On October 27, 2006, the Zia government’s mandate expired and a caretaker government run by President Iajuddin Ahmed was appointed to run the country until the January elections. On October 31, the caretaker governmentreplaced the RAB director general, but over the next four weeks, RAB was implicated in the deaths of 17 people.

Human Rights Watch is concerned that Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party, which maintains great influence over the caretaker government and its security structures, may use RAB for political means during the campaign.

On December 9, Ahmed deployed the military throughout the country to “ensure security” before the elections. A 14-party opposition coalition has staged frequent demonstrations in recent weeks calling for electoral reform amid charges of bias by the caretaker government and large-scale voter registration fraud. More than 40 people have died and scores have been injured in pre-election protests.

Despite fierce criticisms of RAB in the past, the main opposition party, the Awami League, has said the party will leave the