Last week, the country’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICTY) filed formal charges in two cases related to alleged abuses within the Task Force for Interrogation Cell and the Joint Interrogation Cell, including accusations of crimes against humanity.
Officers and civil servants indicted
As part of this action, arrest warrants were issued against several former soldiers, including former directors general of the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), and former officials of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB).
The Bangladesh military also announced it had arrested more than a dozen officers accused of serious crimes committed under the previous administration.
“This is the first time that formal charges have been brought for enforced disappearances in the country. This is an important moment for the victims and their families,» High Commissioner Türk said.
He urged the Bangladeshi authorities to ensure due process and fair trial guaranteesparticularly regarding detained officers. He also stressed the protection of victims and witnesses because “sensitive and significant cases must be guaranteed”.
Dealing with violations
Bangladesh’s ratification of Convention on Enforced Disappearances in August 2024, and the amendment of the International Crimes Tribunal Act, now officially recognize enforced disappearance as a crime under domestic law.
Nonetheless, Türk said ongoing cases – some dating back to the previous administration which was driven from power by massive youth-led protests last year – must also be addressed and those arbitrarily detained must be released.
At least 1,400 people, including many children, were killed in the movement of several weeks, which which resulted in the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, after fleeing the country.
She had been in power since January 2009, after ruling Bangladesh from 1996 to 2001.
The end of abuse
In his report, a OHCHR fact-finding investigation found credible evidence of torture, arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances which “could constitute crimes under international law”.
The central recommendation of this report – echoed again by High Commissioner Türk – was that Bangladesh ensure that those responsible for serious abuses, regardless of their rank, are brought to justice through fair and transparent procedures.
He also urged Bangladesh to end the use of the death penalty in all such proceedings, regardless of the charge, calling for “a global process of truth-telling, reparation, healing and justice» to start, so that the abuses of the past cannot be repeated.
Originally published at Almouwatin.com
