‘Hasina orders enforced disappearances’

Staff Reporter  :

The Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances has said that the enforced disappearances were a politically motivated crime, with direct involvement of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and her defence and home ministers.

The revelation came up when the commission submitted its final report to Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Sunday at the State Guest House Jamuna.

Commission Chair Justice Moinul Islam Chowdhury; members Justice Md Farid Ahmed Shibli, Noor Khan Liton, Nabila Idris and Sazzad Hossain; Adviser Adilur Rahman Khan; and Principal Secretary to the Chief Adviser Sirajuddin Mia, were present.

The commission said it received a total of 1,913 complaints related to enforced disappearances.

After verification, 1,569 complaints met the legal definition of enforced disappearance. Of these, 287 cases fell into the “missing and dead” category.

Commission member Nabila Idris said complaints are still coming in and estimated the total number of enforced disappearances could be between 4,000 and 6,000.

“When we contact victims of enforced disappearance, we often learn about more victims who never approached us – either because they did not know about the commission, have moved abroad, or were unwilling to speak on the record even when we reached out to them,” she said.

Commission members said enforced disappearances were primarily politically motivated. “The data we have proves that this was a politically motivated crime,” they said.

According to the report, among those who returned alive after being disappeared, 75 percent were leaders or activists of Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Chhatra Shibir, while 22 percent were leaders or activists of the BNP and its affiliated organisations.

Among those still missing, 68 percent are from the BNP and its affiliates, and 22 percent from Jamaat-Shibir.

In several high-profile disappearance cases, evidence was found of direct involvement by then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her defence affairs adviser Major General (retd) Tarique Ahmed Siddique, and then home minister Asaduzzaman Khan.

Notable cases include BNP leader Ilias Ali; Humam Quader Chowdhury; Salahuddin Ahmed; Chowdhury Alam; Jamaat leader and former brigadier general Abdullahil Aman Azmi; barrister Mir Ahmad bin Qasem; and former diplomat Maruf Zaman.

Commission members said the former prime minister herself directly ordered several disappearances.

They added that information about victims being rendered to India – secretly transferred without legal process – clearly indicates these actions were carried out on instructions from the highest level of government.

Chief Adviser Professor Yunus thanked the commission members for their tireless work and determination.

“This is a historic task. On behalf of the nation, I thank everyone involved. What you have described – if there is a word in Bangla for it, it is ‘demonic.’ In one word, that is how these acts can be described,” he said.

“You listened to those who endured these atrocities and, through their experiences, witnessed that brutality yourselves. Without firm resolve, this work would not have been possible,” he said.

He further said, “This report documents how all institutions in Bangladesh were crushed, and how, under the guise of democracy, people were subjected to inhuman cruelty.

It documents how low human beings can sink – how demonic and grotesque they can become.”

“Those who committed these horrific acts are people like us, yet they continue to live normal lives in society.

As a nation, we must permanently move away from such brutality and find remedies so it never returns,” he added.

The chief adviser called for the reports to be presented to the public in simple language and instructed the commission to submit recommendations and a roadmap for future action.

He also directed that, alongside known detention facilities such as Aynaghar, all locations where extrajudicial killings and disposal of bodies took place should be mapped.

According to the investigation, the Baleshwar River in Barishal was the site of the highest number of killings and body disposals, with hundreds of victims thrown into the river.

Evidence was also found of bodies being dumped in the Buriganga River and in Munshiganj.

The commission members expressed special thanks to the chief adviser, saying the work would not have been possible without his firm stance and consistent support.
“Because you remained resolute, we were able to do this.

You always provided whatever support we needed and strengthened our resolve,” they said.

They also urged the chief adviser to reconstitute the National Human Rights Commission to carry this work forward and requested the government to ensure protection for victims.