Dhaka, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has praised Bangladesh’s decision to prosecute former security officials accused of enforced disappearances and torture under the previous government, calling it “an important step towards accountability.”
The country’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) recently filed formal charges in two cases involving alleged abuses at the Task Force for Interrogation Cell and the Joint Interrogation Cell. Arrest warrants were issued for several former military officers, including ex-leaders of the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) and the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). The Bangladesh military has also detained over a dozen officers linked to serious crimes.
This marks the first time Bangladesh has formally charged individuals for enforced disappearances. The move follows the country’s ratification of the Convention on Enforced Disappearances in August 2024 and amendments to its International Crimes Tribunal Act.
Türk emphasized the need for fair trial guarantees, protection of victims and witnesses, and the release of those arbitrarily detained. He also urged Bangladesh to avoid using the death penalty in these proceedings and called for a broader process of truth-telling, reparation, and justice to prevent future abuses.
The prosecutions come in the wake of massive youth-led protests in 2024 that led to the resignation and exile of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. An OHCHR investigation found credible evidence of torture, arbitrary detention, and disappearances that “may amount to crimes under international law.”
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