On the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, Md Nahid Islam, NCP convenor and Opposition Chief Whip, has expressed deep condolences to all victims of enforced disappearances and their families in Bangladesh and across the world.
Nahid added that during Sheikh Hasina’s one-and-a-half-decade fascist regime, enforced disappearance was established as a horrific tool of state oppression in Bangladesh. This state-sponsored atrocity targeted numerous citizens, particularly those from opposition parties and dissenting voices.
Many of them remain missing, leaving their families to wait for their return for years. He specifically highlighted the inhumane and demonic torture inflicted upon countless individuals detained within the dark chambers of “Aynaghar,” an act that shames global humanity.
The NCP convenor reflected that the historic and bloody student-led public revolution achieved a “new Bangladesh” on the foundation of the sighs, tears, and long-standing pain of these families.
However, Nahid noted with deep concern that many families in this post-revolution era continue to wait for their missing loved ones, and many victims are yet to be traced. Among these cases, allegations regarding the enforced disappearance of Miraj Shekh in Mongla prison remain a matter of grave concern.
Nahid raised critical questions regarding the current government’s legislative efforts, specifically the “Enforced Disappearance Prevention and Redress Bill” and the “Human Rights Commission Bill” recently introduced in parliament.
He warned that despite the government’s previous opposition to enforced disappearances, these bills risk creating loopholes for impunity instead of ensuring effective prevention and robust accountability for such a grave offence.
Nahid asserted that a permanent end to the culture of enforced disappearances in Bangladesh cannot be achieved without independent and impartial investigations into every single incident.
In light of these issues, the opposition chief whip outlined several key demands to address the crisis.
He urged the authorities to locate all individuals disappeared during the Awami League regime, including Miraj Shekh who was disappeared in Mongla, and to deliver the truth to their families.
Moreover, he demanded swift justice for every incident of enforced disappearance and insisted that the prevention law must incorporate clear provisions for independent, impartial, and effective investigations.
Most importantly, he emphasised the need to guarantee that a culture of state-sponsored enforced disappearances never returns to Bangladesh, concluding that the tears of every victim’s family must be answered to establish a humane, democratic, and new Bangladesh built upon truth, justice, and accountability.
