HomeBangladesh NewsRelatives are looking for missing people

Relatives are looking for missing people


Businessman Ismail Hossain had a wooden shop near Shah Ali Mazar in the capital. On June 19, 2019, he was going home from that shop to have lunch. Get lost on the way. His wife Nasreen Jahan said that he was last seen near the RAB-4 office in Mirpur before he went missing. Even after 5 years Ismail has not returned. This mother of two children is somehow running the family by tutoring.

Nasreen said her husband had some savings in a bank account. Due to legal complications, he is unable to withdraw that money. She does not know whether her husband is alive or dead. Can't even tell the bank authorities. In a tearful voice he said, 'At least give us some indication, he is alive or dead. What should we pray for him? How many days will this continue?'

Nasreen said these words at the 8th Congress of Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearance (AFAD) organized by human rights organization Odhikar at a hotel in Gulshan in the capital today. Legal Adviser Asif Nazrul, Adviser to Industry Ministry Adilur Rahman Khan, Adhikari President CR Abra spoke on the occasion. Also present were delegations from Indonesia, the Philippines and Pakistan.

Ismail Hossain, a businessman who went missing in Mirpur, was a member of the Shaheed Zia Memorial Society. His wife Nasreen alleged that he had a dispute with a RAB officer. He thinks Ismail has gone missing because of that dispute. In a frustrated voice, he said, 'We are in such a terrible situation that I stay awake at night thinking about what to eat tomorrow. I don't have access to my husband's bank account, I can't sell his land. How can I live with children?'

Like Nasreen, a 70-year-old woman named Roshan Ara is also a victim. His son Mahbubur Rahman attended the event in search of Ripon. Youth Dal activist Ripon was abducted from their home in Feni 10 years ago on March 21, 2014 by men in plainclothes. Roshan Ara said, 'My son was kidnapped at night. I've been looking everywhere; But I didn't get it. I am still going door to door with administration and people hoping to find him. Ripon's two daughters, now aged 16 and 10, are growing up without a father.'

For more than a decade, hundreds of families have been living with the unbearable pain of not knowing the fate of their loved ones. Most of these people were critics of the Awami League government and members of the opposition. They disappeared during the 16 years of Awami League rule. At least 709 people went missing between 2009 and 2024, according to human rights organization Odhikar. 155 of them are still missing.

On the occasion, Legal Adviser Asif Nazrul said, 'The government is committed to ensuring the justice of the crime of disappearance and is considering the issue of rehabilitation and compensation to the victims. Our capabilities may have limitations; But we have no shortage of sincerity and courage. We will show it in the end.' He said, when someone is killed, his body is found. But with loss comes an endless wait. You don't know whether they are alive or dead.

The legal advisor said, 'The roots of fascism are so deep that it is not easy to fight against it. They have consolidated their position in the last 15 years. The interim government has been working against the process for weeks. There may be coordination between the Commission of Inquiry into Enforced Disappearance and the International Criminal Tribunal. The information we get through this commission can be useful for conducting the trial.

Adilur Rahman Khan, advisor to the Ministry of Industry, said that the current government is expressing solidarity with the families of the missing. Ensuring justice is the highest priority. Not just for the victims of enforced disappearances, but for those who have suffered under the 'brutal fascist regime' for the past decade and a half.

Attorney General Asaduzzaman said he would request the Legal Adviser to prioritize crimes like disappearances and formulate an ordinance on such crimes.

CR Abrar, president of human rights organization Adhikar, said, 'We will end the disappearances. Not everyone from the regime of fascist Sheikh Hasina has gone, many are here with a lot of wealth. They will try to undermine the authority of the student and popular government. For this, everyone should be united and be careful.

Yatri Andriani, coordinator of 'The Commission for Missing and Victims of Violence in Indonesia', said, 'Indonesia has failed to ensure justice after the fall of the authoritarian regime. I hope Bangladesh will succeed in ensuring justice for the affected families.'



RELATED ARTICLES

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

- Advertisment -
- Advertisment -

Most Popular

Recent Comments