New York (PTI): Expressing concern over the reports of extra-judicial killings by security forces in emergency- ruled Bangladesh, a leading human rights group has asked the interim government in Dhaka to use its last months in office to seriously address persistent rights abuses in the country.

"The Bangladesh government is well aware that the security forces have killed and tortured people in custody... Bangladesh needs a government that acknowledges that serious human rights problems exist, and is ready to act to address them," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

The international rights watchdog said: "as elections (scheduled for December 18) loom, it is important for the major political parties, which had poor human rights records when in office, to show that they are prepared to take on this challenge by developing and presenting their own human rights action plans."

Adams, however, said: "the government's offhand rejection of documented reports of abuse is not only a slap in the face to those whose lives have been shattered by the actions of the security forces, but also shows that its talk about restoring the rule of law is little more than empty rhetoric."

In its response to HRW, the Ministry of Home Affairs also stated that, "the government and its law enforcing agencies and security forces are always respectful to the Court's verdicts and orders."

But HRW said its research has found, to the contrary, that in many instances when the courts ordered that an inmate be released on bail, the release was delayed because prison authorities had not been granted the "required" permission.

It said that there are also numerous due-process violations reported from the special anti-corruption courts, and several lawyers representing high-profile prisoners have been harassed.