Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus has promised all possible support to the Commission on Enforced Disappearances to identify and hold accountable those responsible for enforced disappearances from 2009 to August 2024. He said, I will provide everything you need and will provide all kinds of support.
He made this promise to the commission members during a meeting at the office of the chief adviser on Saturday (November 9) in the presence of several advisers and important officials. The matter was informed in a message sent by the press wing of the chief adviser.
The chairman of the commission, Justice Mainul Islam Chowdhury, said in the meeting that they had received about 1,600 complaints till October 31, scrutinized 400 complaints and interviewed 140 complainants.
In the meeting, the commission members said that they would submit an interim report to the government by mid-December before taking further action on the matter.
Law adviser Dr. Asif Nazrul said the government will extend the commission's term by two years if necessary and issue necessary orders including legal measures to protect the victims.
A member of the commission said they were surprised by the number of complaints. Many are still not coming to the commission for fear of reprisals from law enforcement officials. From this, we understand that the number of incidents is much higher than what has been reported so far.
The commission members said they suspect that the number of enforced disappearances could be at least 3,500. The commission is working to identify who committed the crimes and who ordered them.
They said many of the victims are in prison, some facing the death penalty, because they were forced to give confessional statements in court after being shown their arrests. Some of the disappeared victims are believed to be in jails in neighboring India.
The commission members have sought the government's help in preserving evidence of secret places where the victims were hidden.
A member of the commission told the meeting, "Many victims have told us that they have not seen the sun for years. Only when breakfast is served do they realize that it is a new day."
The member urged the government to impose a travel ban on the accused and if possible, cancel their passports.
Home Affairs Adviser Lt. Gen. (Rtd.) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, who was present at the meeting, said that they would take action if the commission provides a list of the accused.
Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser Mahfuz Alam stressed the importance of putting the commission's findings in the public domain and exposing those who oversaw the enforced disappearances.
Advisers Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed, Nurjahan Begum, Adilur Rahman Khan, Brigadier (Rtd.)M Sakhawat Hossain, Nahid Islam, Asif Mahmud, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser Lieutenant General (Rtd.) Abdul Hafiz, Cabinet Secretary Sheikh Abdur Rashid and Principal Secretary to the Chief Adviser Md. Siraj Uddin Mia were present in the meeting.