Among the many crimes and atrocities committed over the decade and a half of the Awami League being in power, arguably none have been more horrifying for the nation than enforced disappearances. Year after year, individuals from any and all backgrounds were systematically silenced through what has rightfully been called a "culture of disappearance.”
With efforts by the interim government underway to discover the truth, the recent interim report from the Commission for Inquiry on Enforced Disappearance highlighting the alarming patterns of enforced disappearances in Bangladesh deserves close scrutiny to ensure that the years of injustice are not simply swept under the rug.
It is particularly alarming, but at this stage unsurprising, to learn that several units of the Bangladesh Police, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), Detective Branch (DB), and Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crimes (CTTC) have been frequently identified as leading actors.
The events of July and August of this year made it all too clear that there were deep issues in our law enforcement that required urgent repair. However, with reports highlighting just how damaging they have been to citizens of this country, literally engaging in crimes against humanity that ought to be tried in court, simply reforming these institutions is no longer sufficient.
With the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) identified as the only judicial forum in Bangladesh equipped to handle crimes against humanity, we expect all stakeholders to leave no stone unturned to ensure that justice once again is not denied and everyone identified as responsible for these years of enforced disappearances are brought to justice.
Indeed, with the history of there being little to no justice for families and victims of enforced disappearances, and with Bangladesh looking to become a better nation in terms of ensuring justice and establishing democratic norms, this is the time to show the country that the interim government will go beyond simply offering words of consolation.
Bangladesh cannot start as a nation if we are unable to hold those who have wreaked havoc on our people accountable for their actions.
