Staff Reporter :
In the last 16 years, countless people have been disappeared, but we still do not have a complete list of them. The families of the disappeared are financially distressed and are going through mental trauma. A financial fund must be formed for the affected families along with the immediate formation of a disappearance commission.
At the same time, it is also important to ensure mental rehabilitation for the disappeared and their family members.
These were the words of the disappeared and human rights experts at an expert consultation meeting organized at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Center in the capital on Thursday. The International Institute of Law and Diplomacy (IILD) and the Bangladesh 2.0 Initiative jointly organized this program.
At the event, Mahadi Amin, advisor to BNP acting Chairperson Tarique Rahman, said, “Our state or political responsibility towards those on whose blood we got the new Bangladesh has not been fulfilled. How much money is needed to help the families of the disappeared? If there is a political commitment, it is possible to stand by every family. This should be the main responsibility of the state.”
He further said, “Since I am representing BNP, there is the highest responsibility from the top leadership of our party. In the future, when BNP comes to state responsibility, Tarique Rahman will stand by the victims with the utmost sincerity. This is one of our main responsibilities.”
Prominent photographer Shahidul Alam said, “The way the victims were tortured not only physically but also mentally must be taken into consideration during the redressal. Effective measures must be taken in light of reality, not repeated seminars.”
” Barrister Sara Hossain said, “We are not able to do as much as is needed for the victims. Justice is definitely needed, but we must also keep in mind that no new injustice should be done in the name of speedy justice. Financial assistance should not be flat-centric but need-based and a specific rule should be followed in distribution.”
