Dhaka: On Wednesday, Bangladesh’s new administration initiated an investigation into numerous cases of enforced disappearances attributed to security forces during the tenure of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The probe will scrutinize actions of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), a paramilitary force known for its alleged human rights abuses and previously sanctioned by the United States for its involvement in extrajudicial killings and disappearances. Human Rights Watch reported last year that security forces were responsible for over 600 enforced disappearances since Hasina’s rise to power in 2009, with nearly 100 individuals still unaccounted for.
The victims often included supporters of Hasina’s political rivals, such as the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Jamaat-e-Islami. Hasina’s administration has consistently refuted these allegations, suggesting that some missing individuals might have perished while attempting to cross the Mediterranean to Europe.
Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India by helicopter on August 5 amid escalating student-led protests, ended her 15-year rule. A five-member committee, led by retired High Court judge Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury, has been appointed to investigate the actions of RAB and other paramilitary units, including the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB). A government order released late Tuesday outlined the committee's scope.
The UN rights office has documented severe human rights violations by both RAB and BGB, including enforced disappearances, torture, and ill-treatment. The commission, appointed by the interim government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, has 45 working days to complete and submit its findings.
Sanjida Islam Tulee, a coordinator for the group Mayer Daak ("The Call of the Mothers"), which campaigns for the release of those detained under Hasina’s regime, welcomed the investigation. Tulee emphasized the need for transparency and a complete report, ensuring no information is withheld.
She expressed hope that the commission would hear every family’s plea without bias and seek justice for the missing individuals. More than 600 deaths were reported in the weeks before Hasina’s departure, according to a preliminary UN report, which suggests this number might be an underestimate.
The day following Hasina’s flight, families gathered outside a military intelligence building in Dhaka, anxiously awaiting news of their loved ones. However, only a few have been confirmed as having been released.
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