Fakhrul: Concerns Over Enforced Disappearances During AL Rule
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir today said that during the Awami League regime, democracy-loving people were deeply worried about the enforced disappearances.
He made the remarks in a message issued on the occasion of the International Week of the Disappeared.
Fakhrul said that although the international community strongly protested the issue of enforced disappearances in Bangladesh, the previous AL government abducted leaders and activists of political opponents, including those from the BNP, for a decade and a half without paying heed to any criticism.
"Although people were abducted and disappeared in front of everyone's eyes, the fallen Awami League government always shamelessly denied the issue of disappearances in all international forums," he said.
The BNP Secretary General said that only a democratic government, elected through a fair election, can ensure the security of all people, as such a government is accountable to the people.
Citing an international human rights organization, he said that about 666 people were victims of enforced disappearances by Bangladesh's law enforcement agencies from 2009 to March 2024.
According to BNP's data, the number is even higher, he said, adding that some victims have been killed; some were shown arrested after a long time, and many remained missing.
The BNP Secretary General expressed deep sympathy to all the victims of enforced disappearances in Bangladesh and around the world, as well as to their families.
