Hasina, Top Officials Linked to Enforced Disappearances: HRW

A newly released report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) alleges that Sheikh Hasina, the ousted prime minister of Bangladesh, along with several high-ranking military and police officials, played a role in overseeing the enforced disappearances of individuals under her government. The 50-page report, titled "After the Monsoon Revolution: A Roadmap to Lasting Security Sector Reform in Bangladesh," highlights the involvement of Hasina, former Major General (Retd) Tarique Ahmed Siddique, Major General Ziaul Ahsan, and senior police officers in these illegal practices.

According to HRW, these officials were complicit in overseeing the disappearances, and testimonies from officers involved in the abductions suggest that Hasina and other senior members of her administration were aware of the detentions, which often took place in secret. The report also references findings from Bangladesh’s National Commission on Enforced Disappearances, which, in its December 14 report, estimates that over 3,500 disappearances occurred under Hasina’s rule.

HRW’s report emphasizes the systematic nature of these abuses. It recounts that after Hasina fled the country, three individuals detained in secret facilities were released, despite years of official denials about their custody. Lawyer Mir Ahmad Bin Quasem, one of the detainees, described the facility where he was held as “meticulously designed to give detainees a worse-than-death experience,” illustrating the harsh conditions many victims endured.

Further findings from the national commission inquiry reveal that torture was not just frequent but institutionalized within the detention centers. The HRW report urges the Bangladesh government to implement the commission's recommendation to disband the notorious Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), a counterterrorism unit implicated in numerous extrajudicial killings, torture, and disappearances. RAB chief AKM Shahidur Rahman has publicly acknowledged the existence of secret detention centers, stating that RAB would comply with any decision to disband the unit if it came from the interim government.

In light of these findings, HRW calls for urgent reforms. It recommends the establishment of independent civilian oversight over law enforcement, particularly through the National Human Rights Commission, with the authority to conduct unannounced inspections of all detention facilities. The report also stresses the need for strict adherence to international standards on the use of force, with clear accountability for any security forces that violate these standards.

HRW’s findings shine a light on the deeply troubling patterns of abuse within Bangladesh's security apparatus and call for decisive action to ensure justice for the victims of enforced disappearances.