Enforced Disappearance Commission grapple with over 1,800 complaints

The Commission on Enforced Disappearances in Bangladesh is grappling with a staggering 1,800-plus complaints, each a plea for answers in a nation haunted by missing loved ones. 

Commission chairman, retired Justice Mainul Islam Chowdhury, revealed the figure during a Monday meeting with a high-level delegation from the US-based Robert F Kennedy Human Rights at the commission’s Gulshan office, underscoring the scale of a crisis that has scarred families and tested justice.

Welcoming the delegation – led by RFK Human Rights President Kerry Kennedy, alongside Vice-President Angelita Baynes and Attorney Catherine Cooper—Justice Chowdhury detailed the commission’s exhaustive investigations into every reported case. 

“We’re committed to uncovering the truth,” he said, outlining efforts to probe allegations of abductions, often linked to state or political actors, that have plagued Bangladesh for years. 

The hour-long meeting, attended by commission members Md Nur Khan, Md Sajjad Hossain, and Dr Nabila Idris, buzzed with urgency.

The RFK Human Rights team lauded the commission’s work but pressed for speedier trials, robust investigations, and institutional reforms to ensure accountability. 

“Every disappearance demands justice,” Kerry Kennedy said, urging the commission to sustain its momentum and engage the government at the highest levels. 

The delegation’s call for reform echoes Bangladesh’s broader push for transparency under Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus’s interim government, which has prioritized human rights alongside security measures like the recent police disarmament policy. 

Yet, with 1,800 cases—each a story of grief—the commission faces a daunting task.