The United Nations’ Human Rights Council’s Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances has said that 76 cases of enforced disappearances are pending with Bangladesh and the agency called for prompts investigations into the cases that were carried out by the members of the Rapid Action Battalion.
In the working group’s report released on December 6, the United Nations stated ‘allegations of enforced disappearances, notably those carried out by members of the Rapid Action Battalion, should be promptly investigated and those responsible prosecuted’.
Law minister Anisul Huq did not respond to New Age after multiple attempts while the RAB director general Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun recently said that there was no scope for his force to violate human rights.
Police inspector general Benazir Ahmed in his recent interview with a private television channel on US’s individual sanctions on him and five other former and current commanders claimed that they received a list 20 of cases of enforced disappearance from the United Nations and they found them at their houses.
The December report published based on the communications transmitted, cases examined, observations made and other activities conducted by the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances for 125th session taken place between September 20 and 29, 2021.
In the report, the Working Group reiterated its concern regarding the situation of enforced disappearance in Bangladesh, which it has been raising in similar reports for several years, with scarce engagement by the Bangladesh government.
In this regard, the Working Group notes that it has not received replies to any outstanding cases during the reporting period and that only one case has been clarified by the government since the working group transmitted the first case to it in 1996.
‘The working group hopes to receive information on the outstanding cases as soon as possible’ it stated.
The working group reiterates its interest in undertaking a visit to Bangladesh, as expressed in several communications transmitted since March 12, 2013 with last reminder on April 24, 2020.
On the occasion, it stated the sources recall that nearly 600 people have disappeared since 2009.
‘The majority were either released or eventually formally produced in court as arrests, but dozens were found dead. The sources refer to 86 documented cases in which the victims’ fate and whereabouts remain unknown’ the WGEID report read.
The report stated that the working group was also informed that relatives of forcibly disappeared persons were threatened not to pursue investigations.
Instances of extortion against families, with false promises of releasing their loved ones or providing medical care, have also been reported, it added.-New Age
