Let’s put an end to the horror of disappearances
ENFORCED disappearances are a much-discussed term in the recent history of Bangladesh.
The final report of the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances has revealed a horrific picture of the culture of enforced disappearances that has developed in the country over the past decade and a half.
The report, submitted to the Chief Advisor, Professor Muhammad Yunus last Sunday, is not just a document, but rather a documentary evidence of a shameful chapter in Bangladesh’s history.
According to the commission, the main motive for the disappearances during the Awami League government since 2009 was primarily political. Of the 1,913 complaints submitted to the commission, 1,569 have been identified as missing. However, the commission members fear that the actual number could be between four and six thousand.
The report revealed that a large portion of the victims of disappearances were leaders and activists of the main opposition parties BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami. Even more alarming is the evidence that the fallen Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina herself was directly involved in crimes against humanity such as enforced disappearances.
The names of her the then defense adviser and the home minister are also directly linked to this atrocity. The information about the ‘mirror house’ and the disappearance of bodies in the Baleshwar River described in the report is shocking.
The report further added that the Baleshwar River in Barishal was the main area of body disappearances. In addition, evidence of numerous bodies being dumped in Buriganga and Munshiganj was also found.
The Chief Advisor has rightly termed this atrocity as ‘demonic’. It is the demand of the hour to bring to justice how a regime, disguised as democracy, has institutionalized the abduction of people’s fundamental rights.
Based on this report, the culprits should be brought under exemplary punishment. It is important to ensure the speedy implementation of the recommendations made by the commission. At the same time, state support is needed to alleviate the long-standing pain of the families of the victims of disappearances.
Ultimately, as a nation, we must ensure that no more citizens have to go missing in this way in the future. There is no alternative to bringing perpetrators to justice and radically reforming the governance structure if we are to permanently end this horror.
The politics of disappearances has scarred the society of this country; now is the time to reveal the truth, determine responsibility, and pave the way for justice.
The humanity of the state will return only when the invisible is made visible and crimes are judged as crimes.