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Former Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina has been accused of forcibly disappearing people in the country. The inquiry commission of the interim government has said in one of its reports that former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been involved in incidents of enforced disappearance.
According to the Commission’s report, there are about 3500 such cases of enforced disappearance in which Hasina was involved. The Prime Minister’s Office of Bangladesh has also issued a statement regarding this on Saturday. Apart from Hasina, her defense advisor Tariq Ahmed Siddiq, former director of telecommunication Ziaul Ahsan and several police officers were also present.
All these officers had absconded after Hasina left the country. Many of these are present in foreign countries. This report has been prepared by a 5-member inquiry commission. The report has been named ‘Unfolding the Truth’.
Tortured people using RAB
RAB is a special anti-crime unit of Bangladesh. It includes officers of Army, Air Force and Police.
The inquiry commission has said in its report that Hasina government has tortured people by using Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). Hasina is accused of using RAB and other agencies in an organized manner to forcibly abduct people and keep them in custody.
In its report, the Commission has asked for the abolition of RAB and the repeal or major amendment of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2009. According to commission member and human rights activist Sajjad Hussain, they had filed 1676 complaints of enforced disappearances. Of these, 758 have been tested, out of which about 200 people never returned.
Apart from this, those who returned were shown as arrested in the records. The inquiry commission will issue another report regarding this in March next year.
America had imposed sanctions on RAB 3 years ago
America had imposed sanctions on Bangladesh’s RAB in December 2021. America had accused RAB of unlawful killings. America had held 7 RAB officers responsible for this. These officers were accused of forcibly disappearing hundreds of people and killing them since 2009.
In 2021 itself, US President Joe Biden did not invite Bangladesh to the meeting called among democratic countries.
Organizations like Human Rights Watch (HRW) have also accused RAB of human rights violations. HRW had also published reports regarding this in 2011 and 2017.
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