report in The Daily Star, May 28, 2023
The rights activists and the family members of enforced disappearance victims called upon the government to set up an independent commission to investigate the cases of enforced disappearances and punish the responsible agencies and individuals.
The family members of the victims stood in front of the Jatiya Press Club yesterday.
The gathering was organised by Maayer Daak, a platform for the families of the victims, in commemoration of the International Week of the Disappeared.
Rights activists highlighted that the number of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings has significantly decreased after the United States sanctions on the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) and seven of its officials.
They also believe that the recent US Visa Policy would be similarly effective, particularly in the context of the upcoming national election, as many cases of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings have occurred before previous elections in 2014 and 2018.
Nur Khan, a prominent rights activist, also the executive director of the Ain O Salish Kendra, said that there are indications of change following the US actions.
He demanded that the government establish an independent commission to identify the responsible agencies, officers and individuals involved in enforced disappearances and ensure that they are held accountable for their actions.
“The highest authorities of the state are saying that there are not many enforced disappearances and that many of the victims went into hiding. Such statement from the people who run the state gives impunity to those responsible for enforced disappearances and allows them to evade justice,” he said.
He said that nearly 600 people have fallen victim to enforced disappearances, with only 300 of them returning.
“We want to warn the security agencies. Release the victims immediately. The current and former officers, politicians and the individuals who are responsible for the enforced disappearances in Bangladesh will face the music,” Nur Khan said.
Mahmudur Rahman Manna, convener of Nagorik Oikya, claimed that the world now recognises the current government as a fascist.
He pointed out that international bodies had provided a list to the government requesting information about disappeared individuals since when the government had prohibited Rab from carrying out such acts. Yet some incidents are taking place, he added.
Sanjida Islam, coordinator of Maayer Daak, also the younger sister of BNP leader Sajedul Islam Suman, who was allegedly taken away by Rab in December 2013, said that victim families had filed general diaries, cases, and complaints in Bangladesh but received no assistance from law enforcement agencies and the government.
“The officers of secret detention cells where my brothers are kept — get it in your ear — we know you. No one will be spared,” she warned.
Children of the victims are growing up without knowing the fate of their fathers. Yesterday, they also held placards, desperately seeking any trace of their missing fathers.
Ten-year-old Safa struggled to hold back tears as she tried to express her anguish during the programme. Her father, Mahfuzur Rahman Sohel, a leader of Chhatra Dal in the capital’s Bangshal, was allegedly taken away by law enforcers in 2013.
“My father did nothing wrong. I have no idea where he is now. I just want my father back,” she sobbed.
https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/enforced-disappearances-form-independent-body-punish-culprits-3331116
