Extend inquiry commission's mandate

Amnesty International has sent a letter to President Mohammed Shahabuddin, urging him to extend the mandate of the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances.

The letter, signed by Friedhelm Kuhl of Amnesty International Group and dated June 17, urged the interim government to ensure that the commission's efforts can continue.

The mandate of the commission was slated to end yesterday.

"Victims were frequently held and subjected to torture and ill-treatment at secret detention sites, including a notorious site within DGFI's headquarters referred to as Aynaghar or 'House of Mirrors,' and similar secret sites run by Rab. Some victims disappeared for weeks or months before being brought to court to face fabricated criminal charges, while others were detained for years or extrajudicially killed. Although a few victims were released in August 2024, many families are still waiting to learn the truth about their loved ones' fate," said the letter sent to the president.

"When the commission inspected secret detention sites run by the DGFI and Rab, it found recent attempts to conceal and destroy evidence of these abuses, such as the removal of walls to enlarge cramped cells, fresh paint over walls on which victims had carved their names, and at the Rab-1 site, a bricked over entrance to cells so small that victims could not lie down," it added.

It continued, "The commision has found that security forces under Sheikh Hasina and top Awami League leaders used disappearances to target political opponents, activists and others expressing dissent."

"Security forces involved in disappearances include specialised police units -- the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab), Detective Branch, Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crimes -- and the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI)," said the letter.

It commended the interim government for forming a commission and committing to international protocols to protect citizens from enforced disappearance.

"However, to end the work of the commission prematurely, in the midst of its fact finding and prior to its completion of a final report, would undermine the interim government's efforts thus far to secure justice, truth and reparations for those who suffered these gross violations."

"I strongly urge the interim government to ensure the commission's vital efforts are not cut short," it concluded.