The Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances submitted its final report to Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Sunday.
The submission took place at the state guesthouse Jamuna in the afternoon.
Present at the event were Commission Chairman Justice Moinul Islam Chowdhury, members Justice M Farid Ahmed Shibli, Nur Khan Liton, Nabila Idris, and Sajjad Hossain.
Advisers Adilur Rahman Khan and Chief Adviser’s Chief Secretary Siraj Uddin Mia were also present.
The commission stated that a total of 1,913 complaints were submitted to the commission. After verification, 1,569 complaints were classified as enforced disappearances, including 287 falling under the “missing and dead” category.
Commission member Nabila Idris noted that complaints continue to arrive, saying: “The number of disappearances could be between four and six thousand. Contacting victims often leads to the discovery of more individuals who have not approached us, are unaware of us, or have moved abroad. Even when we contact them, many are unwilling to speak on record.”
Commission members stated that the disappearances were mainly politically motivated, saying the data they gathered proves these were politically driven crimes.
According to the report, among those who returned alive, 75% were leaders or activists of Jamaat-Shibir, and 22% were leaders or activists of BNP and its affiliated organizations. Among those still missing, 68% were BNP and affiliate leaders or activists, and 22% were Jamaat-Shibir members.
The commission also found evidence of direct involvement in high-profile enforced disappearances by then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina, her defense adviser Major General (Retd) Tariq Ahmed Siddique, and then-Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan. The report mentions notable figures implicated in the cases, including BNP leaders Ilias Ali, Humam Quader Chowdhury, Salahuddin Ahmed, Chowdhury Alam, Jamaat leaders former brigadier general Abdullahil Aman Azmi, Barrister Mir Ahmad bin Quasem, and former ambassador Maroof Zaman.
Commission members stated that the former prime minister directly ordered multiple disappearances. Evidence of extrajudicial renditions to India (without legal process) indicates these actions were directed from the highest level of government.
Chief Adviser Professor Yunus thanked the commission members for their tireless work and resilience. He said: “This is historic work. On behalf of the nation, I thank the commission. The events you have described are monstrous—Bangla has a word that captures their cruelty. Those who went through these atrocities have shared their experiences, which shows the depth of the brutality. This work could not have been done without immense courage.”
The chief adviser emphasized that the report documents how democracy was undermined, and the extent of cruelty humans can commit. He said: “Those who carried out these horrific acts live normal lives in society. As a nation, we must permanently emerge from such brutality and find ways to prevent its recurrence.”
He also called for the report to be made accessible to the public in simple language and instructed the commission to submit recommendations for future actions. Mapping locations where extrajudicial killings and corpse disappearances occurred was also ordered. The investigation found the highest number of killings and disappearances in the Baleshwar River in Barisal, where hundreds of victims were reportedly dumped. Evidence of body disappearances was also found in the Buriganga River and Munshiganj.
Commission members specially thanked the chief adviser, saying that the work could not have been completed without his strong support and guidance.
They also urged the government to ensure the protection of victims and called for the National Human Rights Commission to be fully reconstituted to carry forward this work.
