Extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances in Bangladesh

A mother with a photo of her son who became a victim of forced disappearance in 2013 (image by VOA)

Extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances in Bangladesh refer to extrajudicial executions carried out by law enforcement agencies without due legal process and to abduction cases in which the government directly or indirectly kidnaps people and holds them incommunicado.[1][2] From 2009 to 2023, at least 2,699 people were victims of extrajudicial killings in Bangladesh.[3] During the period, 677 people were forcibly disappeared, and 1,048 people died in custody.[3] From 2004 to 2006, at least 991 people were killed extrajudicially by "death squad" the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB).[1] The practice of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances primarily involves law enforcement agencies such as the RAB and the Detective Branch (DB) of the police.

These practices began during the administration of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and continued through subsequent regimes, including those of General Ershad and the government of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.[1] Since 2009, the Awami League government has been particularly noted for using such tactics to control dissent, even during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The United Nations and human rights groups, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, repeatedly appeal to the government to stop these human rights violations, but to no avail.[4][5][6][7] In 2021, the United States imposed sanctions on the RAB and its seven high officials.[8] Since the imposition of the US sanctions, the number of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances has begun decreasing.

In 2016, the families of the victims of enforced disappearance in Bangladesh founded a platform Mayer Daak to press their demand to know the whereabouts of their loved ones who disappeared under mysterious situation.[9][10] On August 14, 2022, Netra News, which was then blocked in Bangladesh, published a whistleblower report alleging that Bangladesh officials were holding and torturing victims of enforced disappearances at Aynaghar, a secret detention facility.

After the downfall of the Awami league government in a mass uprising on August 5, 2024, the interim government led Muhammad Yunus on August 27, 2024, formed a five-member inquiry commission to investigate extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances.[11] Headed by a retired high court judge, the commission was tasked with investigating the activities of the police, the RAB, the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), the Special Branch (SB), the National Security Intelligence (NSI) and the military's Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI).[11]

On August 29, 2024, the interim government also signed the instrument of accession to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, aiming at preventing enforced disappearances as a state party.[12]

  1. ^ a b c Bari, M. Ehteshamul (1 January 2022). "Extrajudicial Killings in Bangladesh: Exploring the Phenomenon of Human Rights Violations As a Means of Maintaing Power". Emory International Law Review. 36 (1): 33. Archived from the original on 20 May 2024.
  2. ^ "VANISHED WITHOUT A TRACE: The enforced disappearance of opposition and dissent in Bangladesh" (PDF). International Federation for Human Rights. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  3. ^ a b "দেড় দশকে বিচারবহির্ভূত হত্যা ২,৬৯৯ ও গুম হন ৬৭৭ জন". Bonik Barta. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  4. ^ "Bangladesh: Allow UN to Assist 'Disappearance' Inquiries". Human Rights Watch. 29 August 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  5. ^ "Bangladesh must end harassment of human rights defenders: UN experts". The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
  6. ^ "Bangladesh using enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings to silence rights defenders: Experts | UN News". news.un.org. 11 July 2023. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  7. ^ Bergman, David. "UN blasts Bangladesh over extrajudicial killings". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  8. ^ Riaz, Ali (16 December 2021). "US sanctions on Bangladesh's RAB: What happened? What's next?". Atlantic Council. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  9. ^ "Sentenced to torment". The Daily Star. 31 August 2018. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
  10. ^ ""Mayer Daak" formed a human chain - Back Page". The Daily Observer. Archived from the original on 8 September 2018. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
  11. ^ a b Anam, Mahfuz (30 August 2024). "How could we have descended to such depravity?". The Daily Star. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  12. ^ "Bangladesh's Interim Government Signs UN Convention on Enforced Disappearance". thediplomat.com. Retrieved 25 October 2024.