DHAKA: Bangladesh’s government “denies” systematic abductions by security forces, families of missing relatives said Tuesday at a protest calling for a United Nations investigation into enforced disappearances.
Rights groups accuse security forces of unlawfully killing around 2,500 people since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina came to power in 2009, many of whom were opposition figures.
Hundreds more have been reported missing, with Swedish news portal Netra News reporting this month that some were secretly held for years in a previously unknown prison near a military base.
“We want the immediate release of the detainees from the secret detention cells,” said Sanijda Islam, a member of the local civil society group Maayer Daak which represents the families of the disappeared.
“The authorities should stop denying it,” Islam told AFP.
Outgoing UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet visited Bangladesh this month and urged the government to create an independent agency to investigate allegations of enforced disappearances.
But at a rally in the capital Dhaka, hundreds of people carrying photos of their missing relatives urged the UN to carry out its own investigation.
“We want a strong UN-led commission of inquiry,” said Khondoker Ayesha Khatun, whose son was reportedly abducted by security forces in 2016 and has not been seen since.
There was “overwhelming” evidence that authorities were involved in enforced disappearances and Bangladesh should allow a UN investigation, Human Rights Watch’s Meenakshi Ganguly said on Tuesday.
“The government of Bangladesh should stop feigning ignorance and work with the UN to provide urgent responses and effective accountability,” she added.
Last year, the United States imposed sanctions on the elite Rapid Action Battalion police unit, along with seven senior security officials, for human rights violations.
The government denies allegations of disappearances and extrajudicial executions, with a minister saying some of those missing actually fled Bangladesh.
Rights groups accuse security forces of unlawfully killing around 2,500 people since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina came to power in 2009, many of whom were opposition figures.
Hundreds more have been reported missing, with Swedish news portal Netra News reporting this month that some were secretly held for years in a previously unknown prison near a military base.
“We want the immediate release of the detainees from the secret detention cells,” said Sanijda Islam, a member of the local civil society group Maayer Daak which represents the families of the disappeared.
“The authorities should stop denying it,” Islam told AFP.
Outgoing UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet visited Bangladesh this month and urged the government to create an independent agency to investigate allegations of enforced disappearances.
But at a rally in the capital Dhaka, hundreds of people carrying photos of their missing relatives urged the UN to carry out its own investigation.
“We want a strong UN-led commission of inquiry,” said Khondoker Ayesha Khatun, whose son was reportedly abducted by security forces in 2016 and has not been seen since.
There was “overwhelming” evidence that authorities were involved in enforced disappearances and Bangladesh should allow a UN investigation, Human Rights Watch’s Meenakshi Ganguly said on Tuesday.
“The government of Bangladesh should stop feigning ignorance and work with the UN to provide urgent responses and effective accountability,” she added.
Last year, the United States imposed sanctions on the elite Rapid Action Battalion police unit, along with seven senior security officials, for human rights violations.
The government denies allegations of disappearances and extrajudicial executions, with a minister saying some of those missing actually fled Bangladesh.
