The report has led to serious allegations against Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, citing involvement in enforced disappearances. It further indicated involvement on the part of her top-ranking officials in the government and security forces.
On Saturday, the five-member commission, headed by retired justice Mainul Islam Chowdhury, submitted its first interim report to caretaker administration chief Muhammad Yunus. The commission asserts that Sheikh Hasina, along with some government officials, was involved in orchestrating or facilitating these enforced disappearances. Among the listed accused is Major General (retired) Tarique Ahmed Siddique, who is defense adviser to Hasina.
This led to the identification of key characters with Bangladesh’s security forces by the commission, including Maj-Gen Ziaul Ahsan, former director general at the National Telecommunication Monitoring Centre, and senior police officers Monirul Islam and Mohammed Harun-Or-Rashid.
Bangladesh Commission’s Findings
The report “Unfolding The Truth” details the systematic disappearances and extrajudicial killings. According to Chowdhury, prima facie evidence exists against the high-ranking officials of their involvement in these human rights violations. The commission has documented 1,676 complaints regarding enforced disappearances. Out of those complaints, 758 have been put under review, and the number of cases may even cross 3,500.
According to Chowdhury, it appears that there was an efficient plan to hide the missing people, and perpetrators mostly did not know their victim’s identity. This makes the disappearances seem part of a larger scheme for undetectability and a system of immunity.
What Did Commission Recommend?
One of the key recommendations from the commission is the dissolution of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), a special police force responsible for many of the abuses and enforced disappearances in Bangladesh. According to the commission, this will be essential to address the systemic problems that exist within Bangladesh’s law enforcement agencies.
The work of the commission is still far from being completed. Chowdhury informed that the team will require further time to scrutinize all the allegations. Another interim report is expected in March and the commission believes that it would take nearly a year to look into all complaints that it has received till now.
No Response From Sheikh Hasina Or Her Party Till Now
However, to date, there hasn’t been any immediate response or statement from Sheikh Hasina or her political party-the ruling Awami League-over such accusations by the commission. She is currently in India where she has gone while leaving Bangladesh following protests by thousands of people in Dhaka in August. Her party was then forced out and an interim government taken over by Nobel laureate Yunus. There were calls for seeking Hasina’s extradition, but yet to be done.
Caretaker administration chief Yunus thanked the commission for its efforts and said it was an important job. Yunus promised full cooperation with the commission and said he would visit personally the secret detention centers and interrogation cells discovered by the commission to understand firsthand the suffering of the victims.
“We are ready to give you all kinds of support that you need,” Yunus said, emphasizing his willingness to help the commission in its investigation.
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