Time to close the doors of secret prisons in Bangladesh forever

The Fascist Sheikh Hasina government established a terrifying secret prison for the suppression of dissent, where enforced disappeared individuals were held indefinitely. No one knew their fate. After failing to trace the missing people, their families assumed they were no longer alive. However, there are instances of people returning from these prisons after months, years, or even eight years. After Sheikh Hasina left the country, many of these individuals returned and shared mysterious descriptions of the "Aynaghar" (Mirror Room). Until recently, the locations of these secret prisons were unknown. A commission on enforced disappearances was formed to investigate these prisons. On Tuesday, December 17, media reports revealed that the commission has identified more than eight secret prisons where enforced disappeared individuals were detained.

According to the Enforced Disappearance Investigation Commission, organizations like the Directorate General of Defence Intelligence (DGFI), Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), and the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of the police operated these secret prisons. These prisons were used to detain victims of enforced disappearance across the country. In some cases, these victims were kept alongside ordinary prisoners.

The commission submitted its report titled 'Unfolding the Truth' to the chief adviser at the state guest house Jamuna on Saturday afternoon. The report states that the commission has received 1,676 complaints related to enforced disappearances so far, of which 758 complaints have been verified.

Hearing about these secret prisons brings to mind the Soviet Gulag and Nazi concentration camps. Fascist governments have built such prisons throughout history to suppress dissent. The description of these prisons provides a clear picture of how fascist the Sheikh Hasina government became. The accounts of the victims who survived their enforced disappearances are extremely harrowing and painful. They were denied the opportunity to speak with anyone for long periods, deprived of light and air, and were unaware of their location or whether they would ever return. During this time, they endured various forms of physical torture. And the person behind these enforced disappearances was none other than Sheikh Hasina.

From 2009 to 2017, 402 people went missing with direct or indirect support from the Bangladesh government, according to the Dhaka-based human rights organization, Odhikar. From 2014 to July 2019, 344 people went missing in Bangladesh, and of these, 40 were found dead, 66 were found arrested by the authorities, and according to the Ain O Salish Kendra, 203 are still missing. Those who returned after being missing for long periods have chosen to remain silent about their experiences. It is believed that these people were held in the ‘Aynaghar’ (Mirror Room).

The investigation commission visited the following offices to inspect the secret detention centers: DGFI, CTTC, the main office of the DMP's DB, the DB of Chattogram Metropolitan Police, Rapid Action Battalion Units 2, 4, 7, and 11, RAB 2, CPC 3, RAB headquarters, Chattogram Central Jail, and the Chattogram Division office of the NSI.

After the people's uprising, Sheikh Hasina is in hiding, and there are calls for her trial for crimes against humanity. While these enforced disappearances occurred under Sheikh Hasina's orders, the law enforcement agencies involved in these abductions should also be brought to justice. Those responsible for these disappearances should be given exemplary punishment so that no government dares to repeat such actions in the future. We demand that Bangladesh be forever free from such a horrific culture of enforced disappearances and secret detention centers.