UN delegation visits missing BNP leader Sajedul's house

A United Nations (UN) delegation paid a visit to the residence of missing BNP leader Sajedul Islam in Shaheen Bagh area of the capital Tuesday (3 January) a few weeks after US Ambassador to Dhaka Peter Haas met with his family.

Human Rights Advisers of the United Nations Dhaka Office Huma Khan and Zahid Hossain spoke to Sajedul's family expressing concerns regarding his disappearance.

The BNP leader went missing nearly ten years ago. His family claims that he was picked up by security forces before the 2014 elections.

Earlier, on 14 December, the US ambassador to Dhaka visited Sajedul's house but left before he could conclude the meeting due to security concerns, a spokesperson of the US Embassy had said.

When Haas had stepped out of Sajedul's house, a group of people reportedly surrounded him but he managed to make his way out with the help of personal security. They informed the matter to high-level government officials, the spokesperson added.

The UN delegation inquired about what kind of situation was created after Peter's visit, or if the family faced any sort of harassment or untoward situation, Sajedul's sister Sanjida told the media.

"The UN is always vocal about disappearances and extrajudicial killings by law enforcement agencies. The members of the delegation also inquired about the condition of families who are victims of such incidents," she added.

Sanjida, also the coordinator of Mayer Dak, an organisation consisting of relatives of missing victims, said, "Whenever someone wants to address these incidents, the government provides misleading information and even corners them."

"After Haas visited us, we came under a lot of pressure. Even the police showed up to our house one time," she said, adding that they spoke to the UN delegation about how to deal with such situations.