The Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) has urged the Government of Bangladesh to cooperate with the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances to determine the fate or whereabouts of those disappeared and to prevent future enforced disappearances in the country. The UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances in its latest report submitted to the ongoing 42nd session of the Human Rights Council (7-27 September 2019) stated that Bangladesh has not been cooperating with it.
Bangladesh has been on the spotlight of international attention for continued high number of cases of enforced disappearances. According to human rights group Odhikar, a total of 97 persons were allegedly disappeared after being picked up by members of law enforcement agencies of Bangladesh in 2018. Among them, the bodies of 12 disappeared persons were recovered, 61 have returned alive or were shown as arrested after several days or months of their disappearance; and the whereabouts of 24 persons remained unknown.
The UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances expressed its regret that the Government of Bangladesh has failed to respond to any of the cases and general allegations transmitted to the Member State since 2011.
The report of the UN Working Group stated, “The Working Group reiterates its regret that no information has been received from the Government on the cases and general allegations transmitted on: 4 May 2011, concerning the alleged frequent use of enforced disappearance as a tool by law enforcement agencies, and paramilitary and armed forces to detain and even to execute individuals extrajudicially (A/HRC/22/45 and Corr.1, para. 33, and A/HRC/30/38, para. 61); 9 March 2016, concerning the reportedly alarming rise in the number of cases of enforced disappearance in the country (A/HRC/WGEID/108/1, para. 6); and 22 February 2017, concerning allegations of grave human rights abuses and violations committed by the security and intelligence forces, as well as law enforcement authorities (A/HRC/WGEID/111/1, para. 24 and annex II). On 29 June 2019, the Working Group transmitted a further general allegation on reports that enforced disappearances have continued to occur with alarming frequency (A/HRC/WGEID/118/1, para. 20 and annex I)”.
As per the report, there are 61 outstanding cases at the end of the period under review i.e. as of 22 May 2019.
On 12 March 2013, the Working Group requested an invitation to visit the country but no response has yet been received from the Government of Bangladesh in spite of reminders sent on 27 October 2014, 27 November 2015, 18 November 2016, 19 January 2018 and 18 January 2019.
The Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances was the first United Nations human rights thematic mechanism to be established with a universal mandate, by the Commission on Human Rights, pursuant to its resolution 20 (XXXVI). The primary task of the Working Group is to assist families in determining the fate or whereabouts of their family members who are reportedly disappeared. In that humanitarian capacity, the Working Group serves as a channel of communication between family members of victims of enforced disappearance and other sources reporting cases of disappearances, and the Governments concerned.
