UN experts, journalists urge authorities to ensure safety for families of disappeared

Members of the United Nations Working Group on Enforced Disappearance and journalists called on Bangladesh authorities to ensure the safety of families of the victims of enforced disappearance. 

At a panel discussion, organised by the UN Bangladesh office, in the capital's Banglamotor area today (18 June), they also demanded clear answers about the fate of their missing loved ones, emphasising that these families have the right to know whether their relatives are alive and what happened to them.

Grażyna Baranowska, a member of the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances of the UN, said, "Who is actually a victim under enforced disappearance? Everyone who has suffered as a result of that disappearance is a victim, as defined in the convention that Bangladesh ratified a couple of months ago. This includes mothers, sisters, children, and parents of the disappeared. It's very clear that they are also victims."

She said, "We [UN Working Group on Enforced Disappearance] have spent four days here, and in not a single meeting did anyone deny that enforced disappearances have taken place. This acknowledgement is extremely important. We cannot allow people to start denying in five or ten years that these disappearances happened. In long-term transitional justice, the commission for enforced disappearance is a core part of the issue, and it has been extended until the end of this year, which is a good thing.

"We have heard concerns that filing cases with the International Crime Tribunal can put families at risk, and the ICT must acknowledge this danger. In the current situation, what we can do is keep the families safe. A rush to justice may result in a lack of a fair trial. A fair trial is a core issue that must be victim-centred."

Muktadir Rashid Romeo, an independent journalist who has worked on enforced disappearance issues over the past decade, said, "Political will is crucial to stop this heinous crime [enforced disappearance]. What Sheikh Hasina did was aimed at ending the so-called 'far right' threat—that was the political intention behind it. Whenever I spoke personally with officials from DGFI and NSI, they said that enforced disappearance was an official mandate they were ordered to carry out. Ultimately, it is political will that determines whether enforced disappearances will continue in the new Bangladesh or not."

Tasneem Khalil, editor-in-chief of Netra News, the outlet that exposed secret detention centres during the previous Hasina-led government, said, "When it comes to media coverage of enforced disappearances, abductions, and extra-judicial killings, the media has terribly failed the people. We have let them down badly. Only a handful of journalists are genuinely engaged with these issues. As the media, we need to reflect on what went wrong, especially our failure to question official sources and their versions of events."

He continued, "For years, the 'war on terrorism' was used as a cover to abduct people and hold them in secret detention facilities across Bangladesh. When we reported on these locations, officials consistently denied their existence. Even today, places like Ayna Ghar and the joint interrogation cell run by DGFI inside Dhaka Cantonment have never been officially acknowledged. Only the RAB director general admitted their existence, but no follow-up action has been taken. These are the questions the media should be asking—and must continue to ask."

"There are still hundreds of missing people whose families await answers. Enforced disappearance is an ongoing crime. Those in command of state security forces—DGFI, RAB, CTTC, and others—are responsible for revealing what happened to the victims' loved ones. This is not happening, and as journalists, we need to focus on these cases," Tasneem added. 

One representative from the Bangladesh Army, Brigadier General Asif, said, "According to statements from victims and their families, most enforced disappearances were carried out by the RAB and DGFI. There is a difference between the army and the DGFI. RAB is a police organisation, while DGFI operates under the Ministry of Defence. If DGFI personnel or intelligence officers are involved in any wrongdoing, it does not mean the army is responsible. We must clearly distinguish whether the act was committed by an intelligence agency or the police."