Endless wait for families of the missing
Collected Photo
A mother’s endless wait while staring at the door never seems to end. Years pass, yet a child does not know where his father is. A beloved wife is not certain whether her husband is alive or has disappeared into the depths of darkness. Clinging to the memories of the missing person, the entire family keeps counting the days. Even after receiving news of a death, the tears eventually stop. Relatives begin to dream again. But the wait for someone who has been forcibly disappeared has no end. There is no closure. An enforced disappearance does not merely take a person out of sight. It creates an immeasurable emptiness in the hearts of those left behind. Victims and their families ask the same question at every door they knock on: Where is my loved one?
Today, Sunday, International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances is being observed. It is a day to demand the right to truth, justice and the return of their loved ones for countless families who continue to wait. The day is being observed at a time when Bangladesh has begun a new journey after passing through the dark chapter of enforced disappearances. Those who established a culture of impunity by making thousands of people disappear during the ousted Awami League government are now being brought to justice.
Former chairman of the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances and former High Court Justice Moinul Islam Chowdhury told Agamir Somoy that many recommendations of the commission had been implemented through the ordinance issued during the interim government. However, the current government could have amended the ordinance. Instead, it returned to the 2009 law. This was never desirable.
Responding to a question, he said that during the Awami League government, the state machinery often portrayed victims as criminals so that these actions could be justified. Law enforcement and intelligence officials were made “detached from humanity and demonized” under orders from the highest levels so that such acts could be carried out easily. However, an enforced disappearance is more terrifying than death.
The final report of the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances, formed to investigate allegations of enforced disappearances, also revealed horrifying information. The commission received 1,569 complaints. The bodies of 36 people were recovered after their disappearance. A total of 251 people remain missing. Commission members believe the actual number is higher. According to them, between 4,000 and 6,000 people may have been subjected to enforced disappearance.
The commission’s final report documented 1,564 incidents of enforced disappearance between 2009 and 2024. The highest number was recorded in 2016 with 215 cases. There were 194 cases in 2017, 192 in 2018, 118 in 2019, 110 in 2022 and 65 in 2023.
The report identified political motives behind the disappearances. Cases of enforced disappearance increased before elections. Opposition political leaders, activists and supporters were the main targets. Among the 948 people whose political identities were identified, a significant number were leaders and activists of the BNP and its affiliated organizations. The report said 68 percent of those still missing are members of the BNP and its affiliated organizations.
At least 312 leaders and activists of the BNP and its affiliated organizations were subjected to enforced disappearance during Sheikh Hasina’s rule. Of them, 107 never returned. The investigation also found evidence of involvement at the highest levels of the then government. The investigation further received allegations of involvement by various levels of security and law enforcement agencies in enforced disappearance cases. At the same time, evidence of a centralized command structure was found.
In this situation, bringing only those directly involved in the disappearances to justice will not be enough. There are demands to hold those who gave orders, planned the operations and were responsible for the command structure accountable as well.
Nasiruddin Elan, executive director of Odhikar, told Agamir Somoy that the current draft of the Enforced Disappearance Prevention and Remedy Act, 2026 needs to be amended. The draft could impose restrictions on the freedom of expression of victims of enforced disappearance and their families. At the same time, it could create serious obstacles to obtaining justice. The government should reconsider the draft and ensure the rights of victims, independent investigations, effective remedies and accountability.
Meanwhile, human rights activists have expressed concern over a new alleged disappearance after August 5, 2024. They said a fisherman named Miraj Sheikh and a motorcycle driver were abducted from the Joymoni area of Mongla in Bagerhat on April 10. The High Court also ordered that Miraj be found and produced before the court. However, there has been no trace of Miraj even after 140 days.
His family alleges that he was taken away by people in plain clothes identifying themselves as members of a law enforcement agency. Miraj was taken by speedboat toward the Coast Guard base camp in Digraraj.
Brigadier General (Retd.) Hasinur Rahman, who was a victim of enforced disappearance, said, “Under the current law, the person who files the case has to prove that he was subjected to enforced disappearance. Otherwise, there is a five year prison sentence. How will the current Home Minister’s wife prove that her husband was subjected to enforced disappearance? Will the victims of enforced disappearance be able to prove it? Did the state leave evidence behind when it made the targeted individuals disappear?”
Relevant officials said the government has taken an initiative to enact a new law to prevent and provide remedies for enforced disappearances. The draft Enforced Disappearance Prevention and Remedy Act, 2026 has been approved by the Cabinet. However, it has sparked various controversies.
Nur Khan Liton, a former member of the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances and adviser to the human rights organization Human Rights Support Society (HRSS), told Agamir Somoy that recognizing enforced disappearance as a crime is a positive step. However, the law will not be able to play an effective role unless the independence of investigations is ensured.
If allegations of enforced disappearance are made against law enforcement agencies and those same agencies are responsible for investigating the allegations, questions about impartiality will arise.
A M Mahbub Uddin Khokon, president of the Supreme Court Bar Association and BNP lawmaker, also criticized the draft of the proposed law. He opposed the proposal for a five year prison sentence in cases involving allegations that have not been proven. He also questioned the effectiveness of the interagency investigation system.
Referring to the enforced disappearance of Elias Ali, he said representatives of the security forces had denied their involvement in the incident in court. However, there had been no visible progress in the investigation.
Human rights experts said the prosecution of enforced disappearance cases is not political revenge. It is a question of state accountability and the rule of law. If past enforced disappearances are not brought to justice, it will be difficult to prevent such incidents in the future. At the same time, prosecuting past cases alone will not be enough. Laws and institutions must be established so that no citizen can be made to disappear behind the cover of state power.
Victims said they do not want to see prolonged delays in the justice process. They also want those who remain missing to be found quickly.
The same wait remains in the eyes of Mukta Begum, wife of Miraj Sheikh, who is the latest person reported missing. Meanwhile, Amena Akter Brishti lost her husband, Firoz Khan Kanu, in 2012. Fourteen years have passed. She still does not know where her husband is or whether he is alive.
Brishti said, “I only want to know where my husband is. What was done to him? I want all those who were subjected to enforced disappearance to be found.”
Abdul Qayyum of Voice of Enforced Disappeared Persons told Agamir Somoy about his abduction by RAB 11 in 2017. He said, “A long lasting fear and insecurity have developed among victims of enforced disappearance and their family members because of the fear of state harassment.”
August 30 is observed worldwide as the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances to protest human rights violations such as enforced disappearance and other forms of forced disappearance and to express solidarity with the families of victims.
