Dhaka: Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives and Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Mahmud Sojib Bhuiyan has called for an end to state silence over enforced disappearances, stating that this silence must be broken. Highlighting the gravity of the issue, he urged people to raise their voices against such crimes, emphasizing in a post on his verified Facebook page, “if you remain silent, history will not forgive you.”
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Adviser Asif Mahmud pointed to the previous Awami League regime as a period marked by significant misrule, with nearly 666 individuals forcibly disappeared from 2009 to March 2024. He suggested that the actual number of disappearances is likely higher than reported. He noted that the issue has been particularly concerning since 2010 during the Awami League’s governance, with human rights organizations providing data to support these claims.
The government continues to observe the International Week of the Disappeared in the last week of May, a practice in place to honor the victims of enforced disappearances. The observance, initiated in 1981 by the Latin American Federation of Associations for Relatives of the Detained-Disappeared (FEDEFAM), began as a response to the forced disappearances under authoritarian regimes in Latin America and has since gained international recognition.
The week serves as a global campaign to bring attention to enforced disappearances, extrajudicial actions, and related human rights violations. Its core aim is to remember the disappeared, show solidarity with their families, demand justice and accountability, and call for the protection of human rights and the rule of law.
In Bangladesh, the observance includes various activities by victim families and rights organizations, such as press conferences, human chains, memorial meetings, and other programs, reflecting the ongoing demand for justice and accountability in cases of enforced disappearances.