Disappearance commission receiving more cases than reported by human rights orgs: CA’s press secretary
He said the commission's panel is working at full speed
The inquiry commission established to investigate the incidents of enforced disappearances is receiving more cases than those reported by the human rights organisations, Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said today (28 October).
In response to a question that many of the missing persons are yet to be found, he said, "The commission's panel is working at full speed. The commission is receiving more disappearance cases than those reported by major human rights organisations in Bangladesh, such as Odhikar and Ain O Salish Kendra, as well as international groups like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International."
Briefing reporters at the Foreign Service Academy this evening, the press secretary said, "The commission is conducting a thorough review of the missing persons cases and examining the number and current status of Aynaghor [secret detention centre] in Bangladesh."
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When asked whether families of enforced disappearance victims would receive compensation similar to that for martyrs' families, he responded, "The commission will provide a set of recommendations, which the interim government must act upon."
The commission, led by retired High Court judge Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury, was formed by the interim government on 27 August, to investigate cases of enforced disappearances occurring between 6 January 2009 and 5 August 2024.
The commission will notify the relatives of forcibly disappeared individuals if they are located. It will collect relevant information from any other agency or organisation investigating a missing person.
Human rights organisation Odhikar reports 708 disappearances between 2009 and June 2024. Meanwhile, Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) records 629 disappearances from 2007 to 2023, with 97 cases occurring in 2016 alone.
