Commission Reports 400 Complaints Of Enforced Disappearances

So far, 400 complaints have been submitted following the initiation of activities by the commission formed to investigate incidents of enforced disappearances. According to information provided by the victims, the highest number of abduction allegations have been reported against the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), the Directorate General of Defense Intelligence (DGFI), the Detective Branch (DB), and the Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit.

Today, Thursday, October 3, at around 12 PM, retired High Court Justice Moinul Islam Chowdhury shared this information during a press conference at the Office of the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances in Gulshan, Dhaka.

Moinul Islam Chowdhury stated, "We have worked on the complaints of those who have been abducted under the patronage of the state or by law enforcement agencies. We will also summon those against whom complaints have been made for statements. Legal action will be taken if the accused do not appear."

The commission's chairman further mentioned, "The most complaints of abduction have been received against RAB, DGFI, DB, and CTTC. On September 25, we inspected the DGFI’s facilities, and on October 1, we visited the DB and CTTC offices. However, we did not find any detainees there. It is likely that everyone was released after August 5."

Earlier, on August 27, an interim government formed a commission led by a retired High Court judge to investigate cases of enforced disappearances allegedly committed by law enforcement agencies during the Awami League government's tenure.

The notification for forming the commission stated that it has been established to locate individuals who have been forcibly disappeared by any member of the country's law enforcement and regulatory agencies, including the police, RAB, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Special Branch, Intelligence Branch, Ansar Battalion, National Security Intelligence (NSI), Armed Forces, DGFI, and Coast Guard.