Commission Finds Dissent, Foreign Links in Disappearances

The commission on enforced disappearances, instituted by the interim government, has revealed in its interim report the existence of internal dissent within Bangladesh’s security forces and foreign involvement in such incidents. The findings indicate that enforced disappearances were not isolated acts but rather part of a systemic pattern supported by both local and international enablers.

According to the report, several security personnel who handled victims expressed dissent against these practices. Such opposition often led to adverse personal and professional consequences, including ostracisation, false accusations, and surveillance of their families. One unnamed officer reported being systematically isolated for holding independent views, with colleagues instructed not to trust him.

In another case, a young intelligence officer suffered a mental breakdown after discovering that every dissident he listed was subsequently eliminated. He was eventually hospitalised due to psychological trauma.

Testimonies also detailed the inhumane conditions in secret detention centres. One soldier, assigned to a notorious site, reported receiving orders not to behave humanely with captives. Guards were discouraged from speaking near detainees, using whistles and hand signals instead. The soldier quietly resisted by sharing his food with prisoners, an act later confirmed by a survivor.

The report also highlights the emotional toll on some members of the security forces. A Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) intelligence officer allegedly refused an order to kill a long-term detainee whose location had been compromised. Two other RAB officials also declined unlawful orders, documenting their refusals in handwritten notes forwarded to the then prime minister. These notes were later discovered at the Ganabhaban following a regime change.

Despite such resistance, the report confirms that extrajudicial killings took place. Witnesses described methods of body disposal, including use of railway tracks and pushing victims in front of moving vehicles. Killings were conducted in remote locations to avoid public scrutiny.

The commission’s report paints a grim picture of impunity, stating that crimes like enforced disappearances were tacitly accepted and perpetrators were not held accountable.

It further indicates foreign involvement, noting that the Awami League benefited from Western support under the guise of counterterrorism, particularly through collaboration with the United States. Senior officials acknowledged that this cooperation enhanced security force capacity even as rights abuses escalated.

One detainee testified to being interrogated by two Americans while in DB (Detective Branch) custody. Although these foreign agents did not directly engage in abuse, their presence lent legitimacy to the system of secret detentions.

The commission’s interim findings suggest enforced disappearances in Bangladesh were systemic and politically motivated, with complicity extending beyond national borders.