[🇧🇩] UN investigation into enforced disappearances /deaths of students/citizens at the hands of security agencies

[Saif]

There should be a horror museum based on enforced disappearances report: CA

The Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances toady submitted its second interim report to Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus

en.prothomalo.com

There should be a horror museum based on enforced disappearances report: CA

BSS
Updated: 04 Jun 2025, 17: 54

The Commission of Enquiry on Enforced Disappearances submitted its second interim report to Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus at the State Guest House Jamuna in the capital CA GOB Facebook

The Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances toady submitted its second interim report to Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus.

The commission, led by its Chairperson Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury, submitted the report to the Chief Adviser at the State Guest House Jamuna here around 11:00am, said a press release of the Chief Adviser's press wing.

Commission members - human rights activists Nur Khan Liton and Sazzad Hossain and BRAC University teacher Nabila Idris were present.

Housing and Public Works Adviser Adilur Rahman Khan, National Security Adviser Khalilur Rahman and Principal Secretary to the Chief Adviser M Siraj Uddin Miah were also present.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Adviser Prof Yunus said arrangements should be made to publish the report in the form of a book and on website.

This is not only an issue for Bangladesh but the world has interest in it, he said.

"How terrible every incident is! The 'gentlemen' of our society, our own relatives and friends, have committed these incidents. There should be a horror museum based on what have been found. There are horrifying incidents," he said.

About the cruelty showed against the victims of enforced disparateness in secret cells, Prof Yunus said they were locked up in a three-foot by three-foot cells months after months and it should be presented to the people.

He instructed the commission members to identify what should be done immediately so that the government can start its work within a short time to this end.

A commission member told the chief adviser that the incidents are so horrific that many of the officers and others involved are also regretful and they contacted the commission as an attempt to purify themselves.

Two officers even wrote letters seeking relief from this and the letters were found in Ganabhaban, the commission member said, adding that the then army chief also publicly acknowledged about the letters.

The commission members said they have received 1,850 complaints so far and out of them, 1,350 complaints have been scrutinised.

They said the number of complaints could exceed 3,500, while more than 300 people are still missing among the victims of disappearances.

The commission chief requested the chief adviser to take initiatives so that the families of the missing people can at least make bank transactions.

He said under the existing law, if someone has been missing for seven years, s/he can be presumed dead.

He recommended amending the law making it five years.

The chief adviser advised the commission to inform about what to do so that steps can be taken in this regard as soon as possible.

Expressing gratitude to the commission members, Prof Yunus said, "You are working disregarding fear and various threats. You will be an inspiration to the people of this country. You are an inspiration to those who will work for human rights in the future."​

 

[Saif]

Police, RAB, DB, CTTC among prime enforced disappearance perpetrators: Inquiry commission

The commission investigating enforced disappearances during the Awami League’s tenure has held law-enforcing agencies—such as the police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), Detective Branch (DB), and Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit—primarily responsible for the in

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Police, RAB, DB, CTTC among prime enforced disappearance perpetrators: Inquiry commission

bdnews24.com
Published :
Jun 05, 2025 23:37
Updated :
Jun 05, 2025 23:50

The commission investigating enforced disappearances during the Awami League’s tenure has held law-enforcing agencies—such as the police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), Detective Branch (DB), and Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit—primarily responsible for the incidents in breach of human rights and constitutional safeguards.

The commission submitted its report to the chief advisor on Wednesday.

Preliminary analysis of the data shows that the commission received a total of 1,837 complaints related to enforced disappearances.

Following a first round of review, 1772 of these complaints were entered into the commission’s database as active cases. Among these active cases, 1427 victims have surfaced alive, while 345 people remain missing to date, it reported.

The commission found state-specific law-enforcing and security agencies involved in these incidents with a vast majority of enforced disappearances linked to formal state agencies, reflecting systematic practices rather than isolated incidents.

It noted that police, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), the Detective Branch (DB) of police, and the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) are responsible for over 67 percent of the reported cases. When they combine operations, the proportion rises significantly, underscoring their central role.

Cases involving joint operations complicate oversight and accountability, it said.

The report added, specialised and intelligence-driven units—such as the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) and National Security Intelligence (NSI) –- often appear in combination with primary law-enforcing agencies, suggesting coordinated actions.

Though less frequently cited individually, agencies like the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and NSI appear repeatedly in conjunction with other forces. Their presence, while limited, indicates a pattern of occasional but strategically significant Involvement, it found.

The dominance of formal law enforcement and intelligence agencies in the data suggests significant institutional involvement or complicity in these cases. The relatively low figures for agencies like NSI and BGB may indicate either a lesser role in internal security operations or possible underreporting., the commission reported.

Additionally, the presence of individuals in plainclothes claiming to be members of law enforcement indicates covert operations, with the resulting challenges in establishing accountability and attribution, it explained.

LEGAL CONSEQUENCES

The analysis said the legal repercussions of actions undertaken by the state agencies, involved the undermining of the law and individuals’ right to security, liberty and due process.

The commission considered the implications under international human rights law, domestic legal frameworks, and the principles of due process, accountability, and the rule of law, including evaluating the nature and roles of the institutions involved and the broader legal consequences.

It noted that the constitutional right to life and liberty, prohibition of torture and inhuman treatment, and due process and fair trial rights are “routinely denied” when a person has disappeared, while the involvement of state agencies suggests a “culture of impunity” and failure to investigate, prosecute or acknowledge these cases hint at “state complicity”.

The commission also expounded, “If widespread or systematic, enforced disappearances may amount to crimes against humanity. Key elements include: repeated patterns, involvement of high-level orders, targeting of specific groups (e.g., opposition members and activists).”

The data strongly indicate state involvement in the acts of enforced disappearances in Bangladesh. The high number of cases attributed to official and specialised security forces like the police, RAB, and DB, all operating under state command, suggest that these acts were carried out with “state knowledge, authorisation, or complicity”, it said.

From a legal standpoint, this suggests systemic violations of international human rights law, potential for international criminal responsibility, and an urgent need for legal reform, transparency, and accountability, it added.

INVOLVEMENT OF SECURITY AGENCIES

The commission’s assessment reveals that the majority of enforced disappearances in Bangladesh have been carried out by different units under the police and intelligence agencies. Victims, witnesses, and family members most frequently identified police, RAB, DB, and CTTC as the main perpetrators.

Alongside those, the involvement of DGFI, NSI, and BGB were also implicated.

Both DGFI and NSI typically operate in intelligence, not law-enforcing. As they have no legal mandate to arrest or detain civilians, any involvement in detentions, abductions, or interrogations crosses constitutional boundaries, suggesting potential illegal parallel enforcement structures — a grave constitutional concern.

POLICE

Under the Awami League government, the police came under sustained scrutiny over widespread human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, torture in custody, suppression of dissent, and excessive use of force.

From 2009 onward, the police became increasingly politicised, functioning more as an enforcer of government policy than as a neutral public institution. Numerous national and international reports documented the disproportionate targeting of opposition groups, particularly the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami, raising serious concerns about the erosion of democratic space and civil liberties.

Extrajudicial killings—frequently labelled as “crossfire” incidents—became a hallmark of police operations, especially during anti-drug raids or crackdowns on suspected criminals. These killings often took place without judicial oversight.

The report said torture in custody was also pervasive. Victims reported severe abuse, including beatings, electric shocks, waterboarding, and other forms of physical and psychological torture. Although the Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention) Act of 2013 was enacted to curb such practices, it was rarely enforced, and few officers faced legal consequences.

The police also routinely cracked down on peaceful protests, student movements, and press freedom, most notably during the July Uprising. Repressive laws such as the Special Powers Act and the Digital Security Act were widely used to arrest dissenters on vague charges such as “hurting religious sentiment” or “spreading propaganda”.

The commission has documented hundreds of enforced disappearances carried out by the police. Victims included political activists, students, teachers, businesspeople, and critics of the government.

According to the reported data, many were severely tortured and ultimately extrajudicially killed after being disappeared. These patterns revealed a structural crisis within the police: “a culture of impunity, 38 systematic abuse of power, and a lack of institutional accountability”—all in direct contradiction to their constitutional mandate to uphold the rule of law and protect citizens.

RAB

The RAB, a paramilitary law-enforcing agency established in 2004 under the home ministry, was originally tasked with tackling serious crimes such as terrorism, drug trafficking, and organised crime.

According to the report, the commission has received hundreds of complaints involving RAB’s direct participation in enforced disappearances, custodial torture, and extrajudicial killings. National and international organisations have documented a pattern of individuals allegedly picked up by RAB who were later found dead or remained missing, raising grave concerns regarding the agency’s adherence to the rule of law and human rights standards.

The force operated with significant autonomy, and the lack of robust oversight enabled widespread abuse, it added.

The Intelligence Wing of RAB, working in close coordination with operational battalions, conducted many covert operations, involving abductions and prolonged detentions in secret facilities under the pretext of fighting militancy, narcotics, and arms trafficking, it found.

The report noted that one of the most notorious sites was the Task Force for Interrogation (TFI) cell, located within the RAB-1 compound. Though publicly framed as an inter-agency facility, it was de facto operated and controlled by RAB Intelligence. Thousands of detainees were held in this facility, confined for weeks or months in pitch-dark rooms, blindfolded and handcuffed at all times.

Testimonies revealed that detainees were subjected to relentless torture within specialised rooms: methods included beatings, electrocution, suspension from ceilings, rotational disorientation, and even physical dismemberment. Children and mentally unwell detainees were not spared, it said citing statements from those who returned alive.

The report added that RAB as an institution has continued to exist after the fall of the Awami League government on Aug 5 and that its operations remain a “significant barrier” to democratic reform.

The commission believes that meaningful change will require the “dismantling of RAB as a force”, suggesting its dissolution as “essential to break the cycle of impunity, restore public confidence, and enable the creation of a rights-respecting security framework”.

DETECTIVE BRANCH

Operating under the police, the DB plays a central role in law-enforcing operations, particularly through covert investigations and intelligence-led actions.

According to the report, numerous allegations were made that DB personnel abducted political opponents, activists, and suspected criminals; detained them in undisclosed locations; failed to acknowledge the arrests; conducted arbitrary detentions without warrants; and held individuals incommunicado.

Victims frequently reported custodial torture, enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and transfers to other security agencies such as the RAB and the DGFI, it said.

The DB was widely believed to be an instrument of political repression during the tenure of the Awami League.

CTTC

While the CTTC unit has claimed to play a vital role in addressing emerging security threats, it has become associated with the same patterns of abuse and impunity that have long plagued other security forces, such as RAB, the report said.

Even when they detain captives unlawfully over briefer periods than other agencies, CTTC operatives have been reported to inflict severe harm through strategic misuse of the legal system. The unit has been known to initiate numerous false cases, thereby weaponising the judiciary to wage “lawfare” against targeted individuals, it said.

The commission found that the CTTC has faced serious allegations of enforced disappearances, torture, and arbitrary detention. Human rights defenders both within and outside Bangladesh have consistently raised concerns about the disappearance of individuals suspected of so-called terrorist or criminal affiliations.

The report added that the commission has documented numerous instances where individuals were forcibly disappeared, held incommunicado, and subjected to abuse under the guise of interrogation. In several cases, victims were later presented with concocted charges or have never resurfaced at all.

Detainees have described being subjected to brutal torture intended to extract information or forced confessions, it said.

DGFI

Over the past decade, the DGFI has faced persistent allegations of enforced disappearances, unlawful detentions, torture, and surveillance of political opponents.

The report said the agency has also been accused of manipulating domestic politics and interfering in the 2014 parliamentary elections. Its alignment with the Awami League government “severely compromised its perceived neutrality”.

The lack of parliamentary oversight—being answerable only to the Defence Minister—has contributed to accusations of unchecked authority and institutional opacity, the report said.

Credible reports from international organisations and media outlets document widespread human rights abuses by DGFI personnel. The agency has reportedly operated black sites—including the notorious Aynaghor (torture chambers)—where detainees were held incommunicado and subjected to extreme torture.

NSI

The NSI’s operational effectiveness has come under serious scrutiny due to increasing politicisation, the commission found.

It added that the allegations suggest that the agency is used to monitor and suppress political opposition, civil society, and journalists rather than focus strictly on national security threats. The NSI operates without a comprehensive legal statute defining its powers, limitations, and oversight mechanisms.

It lacks independent parliamentary or judicial oversight, raising concerns about unchecked authority and the potential for human rights violations.

The commission said it received complaints implicating the NSI in enforced disappearances. Human rights organisations also accuse it of involvement in torture and other abuses, with victims having limited legal recourse due to the opaque nature of its operations.

BGB

The inquiry commission says although elite units such as RAB and DB are more frequently cited, BGB is implicated in several cases, especially in border and counter-insurgency contexts. In areas bordering India and Myanmar, reports have emerged of extrajudicial killings and disappearances linked to BGB operations.

It said these incidents often remain undocumented due to the remoteness of the regions and restricted media access. Enforced disappearance constitutes an inter-state crime due to its cross-border dimensions. Victims are at times abducted in one country and delivered to the authorities of another, making the involvement of border security forces from both states almost inevitable.

The commission’s inquiry finds that such cross-border transfers or exchanges of captives would not be possible without the collusion or active cooperation of BGB and the Indian Border Security Force (BSF).

Cases such as the disappearances of Shukhoranjan Bali, BNP leader Salauddin Ahmed, Mehedi Hasan Dollar, and Rahamatullah serve as stark examples of cross-border renditions involving India.

The report added that testimony before the commission reveals that RAB usually notified BGB before conducting cross-border renditions, specifying border locations where their vehicles would cross a few hundred metres into Indian territory and captives would be transferred from Bangladesh to India.​

 

[Saif]

All involved in enforced disappearance must face justice

HORRIFYING details of enforced disappearances and custodial torture in secret detention centres that the deposed Awami League government had for long denied have been substantiated in the second report of the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances set up in August 2024. The commission...

www.newagebd.net

All involved in enforced disappearance must face justice
11 June, 2025, 00:00

HORRIFYING details of enforced disappearances and custodial torture in secret detention centres that the deposed Awami League government had for long denied have been substantiated in the second report of the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances set up in August 2024. The commission in the report submitted on June 4 said that more than 300 victims of enforced disappearances are still unaccounted for. It has so far received 1,850 complaints of enforced disappearances; 1,350 have been verified; it is estimated that the final number could exceed 3,500. The report shows graphic details of inhuman torture that victims of enforced disappearancess endured in detention centres, also referred to as aynaghar. In December 2024, the commission in its preliminary report confirmed that it had found prima facie evidence of the involvement of a number of ranking law enforcement officials in enforced disappearances. The interim government has condemned the systematic violation of human rights at the hands of law enforcers, but much more needs to be done to ensure that such heinous crimes are never repeated.

It is promising that the interim government has already taken a number of initiatives to end enforced disappearances. In August 2024, Bangladesh signed the instrument of accession to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances. The government has shared the draft Enforced Disappearance Prevention and Redress Ordinance 2025 with stakeholders, including the victims. The draft, if approved, would be foundational to recognising state-sponsored enforced disappearances and trying perpetrators in courts. Families of the enforced disappearance victims have even found it difficult to lodge complaints as the police, who control the complaint mechanism, have often outright refused to register complaints about enforced disappearances while the Awami League government denied the existence of the secret detention centres and ignored calls of local and international organisations for independent and impartial investigation of the enforced disappearances. Recognising crimes is an important step in securing justice, but equally important is to ensure a judicious trial. For such a trial, the government must ensure that the perpetrators should in no way influence or hinder the investigation or trial. In October 2024, the commission reported that changes were made to the secret detention centres apparently to destroy evidence, which is concerning.Bangladeshi cuisine recipes

The government must bring all parties, including errant law enforcement and intelligence agency personnel, responsible to justice and reform the operation of law enforcement and intelligence units.​

 

[Saif]

UN group on enforced disappearance arrives after over a decade of waiting

The United Nations Human Rights Council's Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) has long been seeking to visit Dhaka to investigate cases of enforced disappearances allegedly carried out by law enforcement agencies in Bangladesh. They have made several requests to the...

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UN group on enforced disappearance arrives after over a decade of waiting
Diplomatic Correspondent Dhaka
Published: 15 Jun 2025, 23: 14

The United Nations Human Rights Council's Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) has long been seeking to visit Dhaka to investigate cases of enforced disappearances allegedly carried out by law enforcement agencies in Bangladesh. They have made several requests to the Bangladesh government for this purpose.

However, after more than a decade, this is the first time they have been granted permission to visit. Today, Sunday, a two-member delegation from the UN Working Group on Enforced Disappearances arrived in Dhaka.

During their visit to Bangladesh, the delegation is scheduled to meet with law adviser Asif Nazrul, the acting foreign secretary, members of the commission on disappearances, law enforcement agencies, and families of the disappeared. They will also participate in policy-level discussions.

It has been reported that the purpose of the UN delegation's visit this time is not to conduct direct investigations but to observe the situation and make recommendations based on their findings.

For the past decade, WGEID has wanted to visit Bangladesh to investigate enforced disappearances. Their first official request was made in a letter to the government on 12 March, 2013.

Although they expressed interest in visiting Bangladesh several more times afterward, the previous government did not respond to these requests. The last formal request from WGEID to visit Bangladesh was sent on 24 April, 2020. This time, the interim government has responded positively to their request.

According to diplomatic sources, a two-member technical delegation from WGEID arrived in Dhaka today for a four-day visit. The members are Grażyna Baranowska, Vice Chair of the Working Group, and Ana Lorena Delgadillo Pérez. They are scheduled to leave Dhaka on 18 June.

The interim government led by chief adviser professor Muhammad Yunus signed the United Nations International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance after the ouster of the Awami League government through the July mass uprising.

Bangladesh signed the convention just a day before the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances. Prior to this, a total of 75 countries had signed the treaty, and Bangladesh became the 76th signatory. The convention was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2006.

Officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have stated that Bangladesh had been under pressure for a long time to join this anti-disappearance convention.

However, since coming to power in 2009, the Awami League-led government consistently showed reluctance to join the treaty. Among South Asian countries, Sri Lanka and the Maldives have both ratified the convention, meaning they have incorporated it into their domestic law. India has only signed the convention but has not ratified it.

According to the latest data published by WGEID, 70 cases of enforced disappearances in Bangladesh remain unresolved. The UN has sought clarification on the actual status of a total of 88 disappeared individuals. Of these, five are reportedly in custody, and 10 have been released.​

 

[Saif]

Still many challenges despite signing UN convention on disappearance: UN delegation

Although Bangladesh has signed the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (ICPPED), there are several challenges ahead. And the easiest way to overcome this crisis is to talk to the families of the victims. UN Working Group on Enforced or...

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Still many challenges despite signing UN convention on disappearance: UN delegation
Diplomatic Correspondent Dhaka
Published: 16 Jun 2025, 21: 12

UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances vice chairman Grazyna Baranowska with acting foreign secretary with Ruhul Siddique during a meeting Monday morning Courtesy of Ministry of foreign affairs

Although Bangladesh has signed the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (ICPPED), there are several challenges ahead. And the easiest way to overcome this crisis is to talk to the families of the victims.

UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) vice chairman Grazyna Baranowska said this following a meeting with foreign secretary Ruhul Siddique Monday morning.

“We came after Bangladesh signed the convention on enforced disappearances. This visit is important. We believe the key issue is supporting the victims. At the same time, there needs to be increased monitoring on the activities of law enforcement agencies. There are still many challenges ahead,” Grazyna Baranowska said.

She also stressed on proper investigations into the allegations of enforced disappearances.

Ana Lorena Delgadillo Perez, another member of the working group, said the purpose of this visit was to discuss support for the victims. The talks also addressed the issue of ensuring justice for those who have been subjected to enforced disappearance.

Meanwhile, in a press release, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the WGEID delegation praised the significant steps taken by the interim government to address the issue of enforced disappearances—particularly welcoming Bangladesh’s accession to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (ICPPED). They also appreciated the work and commitments shown by the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) on enforced disappearances.

The acting foreign secretary stressed on the government’s uncompromised commitment to ensure justice for the victims and uphold human rights, its protection and raising public awareness.

He also expressed gratitude for the technical support provided by the UN working group to expedite the process.

Govt to enact law, form commission to curb enforced disappearance: Law adviser
Earlier, on Sunday, the two-member delegation from the UN committee on enforced disappearances arrived Dhaka on a 4-day visit. They are scheduled to leave the country on 18 June.

The WGEID has been trying to come to the country to investigate the allegations of enforced disappearances for more than a decade. They first sent a letter to the Bangladesh government on 12 March 2013 for visiting the country. However, the government did not respond.

The WGEID also tried several times afterwards. However all the efforts went in vain. The UN body requested the previous government for the last time on 24 April 2020. Finally, the interim government responded to their call after assuming the office.​

 

[Saif]

Govt to enact law, form commission to curb enforced disappearance: Law adviser

An initiative has been taken to formulate an act regarding enforced disappearance, law adviser Asif Nazrul said on Monday. There is a plan to form a powerful permanent commission under this law to curb enforced disappearance in future, the adviser stated. Two members of a visiting delegation...

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Govt to enact law, form commission to curb enforced disappearance: Law adviser
Special Correspondent Dhaka
Updated: 16 Jun 2025, 18: 59

Asif Nazrul, the law, justice, and parliamentary affairs adviser, speaks to reporters in his office at the Bangladesh Secretariat on 16 June 2025 Prothom Alo

An initiative has been taken to formulate an act regarding enforced disappearance, law adviser Asif Nazrul said on Monday.

There is a plan to form a powerful permanent commission under this law to curb enforced disappearance in the future, the adviser stated.

Two members of a visiting delegation from the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) called on the law adviser at his secretariat office today.

They are: working group’s vice-chairperson Grazyna Baranowska and its member Ana Lorena Delgadillo Perez.

The law adviser said this to the media after a meeting with the two delegates.

Asif Nazrul said the government has taken an initiative to formulate a law, which was lauded by the WGEID. The UN delegates already said to consider increasing the tenure of the commission on enforced disappearance. In response he (Asif Nazrul) told them that everyone in the government will sit and make a decision in this regard.

He also informed the WGEID delegates that the government will enact a law regarding enforced disappearance and has a plan to form a powerful commission under that law.

When several newspersons asked the law adviser about the timeframe to implement the law, he said he hoped the law on enforced disappearance and an ordinance on amendment of the code of criminal procedure will be completed by one month.

Newspersons also asked the adviser about the process of formation of the ‘truth and reconciliation’ commission.

In response, he said they went to South Africa under the leadership of the chief justice for this and learned the matter from there. In the second phase, they have been thinking about a regional consultation under the leadership of the chief justice where delegations from Sri Lanka, Nepal and South Asia will be invited.

They will seek opinions of the political parties of Bangladesh, civil society members, rights activists and students and thought out a path on what could be done, the law adviser added.​

 

[Saif]

Commission finds internal dissent, foreign links over enforced disappearances

The interim government instituted a commission on enforced disappearances in its interim report said they found “internal dissent” within security forces alongside foreign links as they studied the cases. The report pointed out several incidents where the security personnel handling victims of...

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Commission finds internal dissent, foreign links over enforced disappearances

BSS Dhaka
Published: 23 Jun 2025, 22: 57

The interim government instituted a commission on enforced disappearances in its interim report said they found “internal dissent” within security forces alongside foreign links as they studied the cases.

The report pointed out several incidents where the security personnel handling victims of enforced disappearance expressed their dissent often exposing them to adverse personal and professional consequences.

It also found the enforced disappearances in Bangladesh were not isolated acts of wrongdoing when “international enablers” played “decisive roles” as well alongside Bangladesh’s security forces.

“Internal dissent within the security forces, especially on issues such as enforced disappearances, political neutrality, or institutional accountability, often carried adverse personal and professional consequences,” read the report, a copy of which was obtained by BSS.

But, it said the result of politicised institutional machinery condoned, normalised, and often rewarded such crimes while officials who dissented often faced punitive actions.

The report cited an example of an unnamed officer who complained that his independent views and refusal to toe the official line on enforced disappearance led him to systematic isolation from his colleagues.

The officer told the commission that before each consequent new posting, “his colleagues were warned not to trust him” and fabricated allegations of sundry crimes followed him while his family’s communications were monitored as well.

According to the report a young man described his brother’s mental collapse while working in an intelligence agency where he was tasked with submitting a list of active political dissidents and “to his horror, he subsequently discovered that everyone in the list he had submitted were eliminated”.

“The guilt overwhelmed him to the extent that, his family reported, he was eventually hospitalised for severe psychological distress,” the report read.

One soldier told the commission that upon being posted to a “secret detention site particularly notorious for its systematic cruelty to captives”, became horrified as he was given a standing order not to show normal behaviour with captives and feel them in pain.

The report said guards were even strongly discouraged from using their voices in close proximity to the prisoners, instead they were told to use “signs and whistles,” while multiple blindfolded victims too reported these tell-tale whistles used at that particular site.

“Yet, dissent did exist. That same soldier, though unable to leave, coped through small acts of resistance. He regularly gave his own meals to detainees, who were routinely served only half the rations of the guards,” it said.

The report said the commission confirmed this account directly from a victim who had received the soldier’s largesse.

“Complicity in these crimes often took an emotional toll on some members of the security forces,” the report said citing testimonies of some security personnel and the captives.

It said one RAB Intelligence officer was “allegedly ordered to kill a long-term detainee” whose whereabouts had been compromised due to a colleague’s indiscretion but the officer refused to carry out the order and remained in position until after 5 August last year.

It said the incident demonstrated that “resistance to unlawful orders did not always bring immediate fallout” while the report cited examples of two RAB officials who informed the force’s intelligence chief in hand written notes telling him they would not carry out any illegal orders.

“When I was ordered to go on an operation by the RAB authority, I said that if there is any plan of extrajudicial killing or firing which is not permitted by the law of the country, I cannot take part in such kind of act,” the report quoted one such note reading.

The report said the then prime minister was conveyed these attitudes with authorities concerned forwarding the informal notes to her while those notes were incidentally found at her Ganobhan official residence after the ouster of the past regime.

But the commission observed that yet crimes were committed when according to witnesses victims were even killed and train lines were used as body disposal sites or captives were thrown in front of running vehicles to be killed but captives were executed in isolated locations away from public view.

“There was an environment in which crimes like enforced disappearances were tacitly condoned, and those who committed them were not regarded as offenders in any meaningful way,” the report read.

The commission, however, foreign links to the cases of enforced disappearance while it reported “parallel to the India nexus, the Awami League also benefited from sustained Western cooperation under the banner of counterterrorism”.

“Senior officers confirmed to us that this partnership, particularly with the United States, enabled capacity building within Bangladesh’s security sector even as abuses mounted,” the report said, adding in one testimony, a victim recalled being interrogated by two Americans while in DB custody.

The commission said as far as it came to know these foreign individuals did not engage in direct abuse but “their presence gave legitimacy to a broader system of enforced detention”.​

 

[Saif]

Enforced disappearance: Commission finds ‘torture devices’ at every detention facilities

The Commission on enforced disappearance has said they found specialised interrogation rooms equipped with “torture devices” nearly at every detention facilities despite perpetrators efforts to destroy evidence after post-5 August 2024 period. “Nearly every detention centre we discovered had...

en.prothomalo.com

Enforced disappearance: Commission finds ‘torture devices’ at every detention facilities

BSS Dhaka
Published: 26 Jun 2025, 12: 54

The Commission on enforced disappearance has said they found specialised interrogation rooms equipped with “torture devices” nearly at every detention facilities despite perpetrators efforts to destroy evidence after post-5 August 2024 period.

“Nearly every detention centre we discovered had specialised interrogation rooms equipped with torture devices,” read the seventh chapter of the commission’s second interim report made available to BSS.

The report said significant efforts were made to destroy this evidence but the commission was able to “uncover traces that aligned with survivor testimonies, such as a rotating chair at RAB 2, CPC 3; the “jom tupi” (head covering) at RAB 4 and DB; and the pulley system used to suspend people at TFI (Taskforce Interrogation) cell”.

It said at almost every destroyed location, remnants of soundproofing were found while the system was designed to muffle the victims’ screams and prevent them from being heard beyond the room’s walls.

In some centres, the report said, music was also used to deaden sounds of the victims’ anguish, and presumably for the enjoyment of the interrogators.

According to the report victims endured prolonged discomfort due to a combination of physical and psychological abuse while they were often given half the food ration of regular guards, kept handcuffed and blindfolded, and placed in solitary confinement.

“The uncertainty of their fate, coupled with these harsh conditions, led to constant distress,” the report said.

The commission said the torture victims were often held in enforced disappearance allowing perpetrators to carry out their actions without the threat of legal consequences.

The uncertainty about whether a victim would ever appear in court or simply vanish from the state’s records facilitated this unchecked abuse and this environment emboldened perpetrators, making it much less likely for the torture to be interrupted or questioned.

It said in cases where torturers feared additional scrutiny, they took steps to erase the evidence of their actions while in some cases the perpetrators waited several weeks to get the captives healed or their bruises faded before they were presented to the public “ensuring that no obvious traces of their crimes remained”.

The report said apart from exposing victims to generalised discomfort, beatings were most common nature of torture while electric shock including genital shock during urination, use of rotating devices in forms chair and full-body apparatus were other methods used against the victims.

The commission observed that personnel were consistently engaged over time that demonstrated “the abuse was part of a sustained and organised effort” also because of the fact that equipment had to be procured, personnel trained, and methods institutionalised to ensure the continued operation of this system.

“The scale of the abuse and its persistent nature indicate that it was not only condoned at the ground level but likely supported by those at the highest echelon of power,” the report read.

It said a system of torture like this could not have existed without the explicit approval from higher authorities as “there had to be budget allocations for infrastructure, equipment procurement, and maintenance over time”.

“Therefore, responsibility for these crimes against humanity cannot rest solely with the perpetrators on the ground; it extends to commanding officers and senior officials who allowed or even encouraged these practices,” the report read.​