The Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances submitted its first interim report on Saturday to the Chief Adviser of the Interim Government, Professor Muhammad Yunus.
The five-member commission, chaired by retired Justice Mainul Islam Chowdhury, presented the report, titled “Unfolding the Truth,” at the state guesthouse Jamuna in Dhaka.
According to the commission, initial findings suggest the involvement of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, along with several high-ranking government and security officials, in incidents of enforced disappearances. Those implicated include her defense adviser, Major General (retired) Tareq Ahmed Siddique, the former director general of the National Telecommunication Monitoring Centre, and sacked Major General Ziaul Ahsan. Senior police officers Monirul Islam and Md. Harun-Or-Rashid were also linked to multiple cases.
The commission reported receiving 1,676 complaints of enforced disappearances, with 758 cases already reviewed. It estimates that the total number of such cases in the country exceeds 3,500.
Among its recommendations, the commission called for the disbandment of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB).
While presenting the report, the commission chairman stated that they uncovered a “systematic design” aimed at keeping incidents of enforced disappearances hidden. He also noted that security forces exchanged victims and deliberately segmented operations to avoid detection.
Those carrying out the enforced disappearances or extrajudicial killings reportedly lacked specific knowledge about the victims, according to the chairman.
The commission plans to submit another interim report in March and expects to need at least another year to complete the review of all allegations.
