Speakers at a roundtable in Dhaka on Saturday emphasized that all enforced disappearance detention centres, or ‘Aynaghors’, must be brought under protection.
The roundtable, titled “On the path to accountability: In commemoration of the International Day of Victims of Enforced Disappearances”, was jointly organized by the Enforced Disappearance Investigation Commission and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
The speakers raised questions about who was currently overseeing these centres and why the commission has not yet secured them. They stressed that not just replicas, but the actual “Aynaghors” need safeguarding.
The speakers also called for an assessment of the current condition of these centres and whether any evidence was being destroyed. They noted that non-cooperation regarding secret detention centres, which they had learned about from the Enforced Disappearance Commission, has so far prevented their protection, and described this continued non-cooperation as part of a “continuous crime.”
Michael Chakma, a victim of enforced disappearance, said: “If the power given to you cannot be exercised, what can I say from the victim’s standpoint? If you cannot expose who was involved in the disappearances, whom can we expect anything from? This is my concern. All forces and agencies that were active must be brought under accountability. Military officers involved must be identified, and legal action must be taken against them.”
He added: “Sheikh Hasina is a fascist, and her regime operated with a large group. Those who ran the Aynaghors must be identified, as well as who gave the instructions. If these questions remain unanswered, the culture of enforced disappearance will continue. Even if Sheikh Hasina leaves, we cannot guarantee that no one like her will come next. Accountability must involve the state itself, not just individuals. Apologies must be made, and the harm caused to victims must be acknowledged.”
Adviser Adilur Rahman said: “As long as the victims of enforced disappearance have not returned, the issue remains ongoing. Attempts are being made to bring these crimes against humanity to justice, but obstacles persist even with all evidence. The Enforced Disappearance Commission has done extraordinary work. Justice will not end with the report; civil society has a role to continue.”
He added: “Bangladesh’s judicial process had been destroyed, and many of us have experienced its condition. Restoring the judicial system, holding trials, and protecting the actual Aynaghors will be part of history. Without safeguarding them, work on replicas alone will not suffice.”
Sanjida Islam Tuli, coordinator of Mother’s Call, said: “Earlier, we were not allowed to observe 30 August. Those returning from enforced disappearance gave us an idea of what happened. The commission’s work has helped reveal the places of horror. Victim families have long awaited justice. For over a decade, our lives were under constant scrutiny. Each family has the right to know the truth, and arrangements should be made to inform families of over 300 people who have disappeared and not yet returned, including which force took their relatives.”