Take action against those involved in enforced disappearances

As much the incidents of crime and violence occurred during Awami govt regime come to light, it seems Bangladesh has passed the age of of Al-Jahiliyyah (The Age of Ignorance, to be ignorant or stupid, to act stupidly). Their dreadful brutalities are so shocking that it is hard to believe that a government could commit such barbaric atrocities on their own people.

We know of many cases of disappearances and killings by the Awami League government. They committed genocide during the uprising. But according to news published in the media yesterday, (January 21) after investigating the incidents of disappearances from January 6, 2009 to August 5, 2024, The Commission of Enquiry on Enforced Disappearances has come to know that women, alongside men, were victims of enforced disappearances. In some instances, mothers and their children were taken and held in detention centers, and even pregnant women were not spared. Male prisoners were subjected to mental torture by detaining their wives, preventing them from breastfeeding their babies.

These details of the horrific torture by state forces have been revealed in the interim report of the Commission of Inquiry into Disappearances. The report, published yesterday (January 21), highlighted at least four cases of women’s enforced disappearances, with one woman still missing. It noted that women were often targeted because of the accused male family members. The commission said in the report, many women were abducted on baseless charges, often linked to alleged criminal activities by male relatives, particularly those accused of terrorism, without any credible evidence or legitimate grounds.

While the report acknowledged that enforced disappearances predominantly affected men, it emphasized that women who were abducted often remained silent about their ordeals, fearing social stigma. Despite this, some women have come forward to share their experiences of abduction, detention, and torture.

The report revealed that 1,676 complaints had been filed with the commission against various government agencies, including the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), Detective Branch (DB), CTTC, Criminal Investigation Department (CID), and the police. Of these, 758 complaints have been reviewed, revealing that 73 per cent of the victims have returned. However, 27 per cent (at least 204) people are still missing.

The question is why did the state forces engage in such senseless and barbaric acts at the instigation of the government? At what level of the state spread now we can understand now.

Fortunately, finally we have been set free of that fascist regime at the cost of a lot of blood. But the fall of the fascist regime is not the last word. Every person and organization involved in these crimes must be brought to justice. Every disappearance must be properly investigated. Those who have still disappeared must be found. The criminals cannot be given any privilege in any way. In the meantime, a kind of tolerance is being seen towards the criminals among some political parties, including the interim government. If these crimes are pardoned, these crimes will continue in the future. We want a proper investigation into the disappearances to ensure that the real facts are uncovered. And we want justice for those who have suffered a lot, Criminals must be brought to justice.