The Bangladesh Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances has reported that cases linked to ousted leader Sheikh Hasina could range from an estimated 4,000 to 6,000 people, based on verified complaints and additional outreach to victims' families.
Key Findings
The commission said it received 1,913 complaints of disappearance. After verification and selection, 1,569 complaints were judged to meet the commission's definition of enforced disappearance, and 287 of those allegations were placed in a combined 'Missing and Dead' category, according to a Facebook post by Interim Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus.
Commission member Nabila Idris cautioned that the true scale may be larger — estimating 4,000–6,000 cases — because contacting victims often uncovers additional people whose families did not file complaints, were unaware of the inquiry, refused to speak on record, or have moved abroad.
Alleged Motive And Political Profile
The commission, established after Hasina's ouster, concluded there was a "primarily political motive" behind the enforced disappearances. Among those who disappeared and later returned alive, the report says 75% were members of Jamaat-e-Islami and 22% were members or leaders of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). For those still missing, the report indicates 68% are BNP figures and 22% are associated with the Jamaat camp.
Allegations Of Responsibility
The inquiry's findings point to evidence implicating Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina, her defence adviser Tarique Ahmed Siddique, and former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal. The report specifically alleges Hasina ordered the disappearances of several opposition figures, naming BNP leaders Ilias Ali, Hummam Quader Chowdhury, Salahuddin Ahmed and Chowdhury Alam, and Jamaat-e-Islami figures Abdullahil Amaan Azmi, Mir Ahmad Bin Quasem and Maruf Zaman.
Context And Reactions
In November, the report notes, Sheikh Hasina was sentenced to death in absentia after fleeing to India; this followed a security-force crackdown during the 2024 student-led protests that the commission says killed hundreds. Interim Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus thanked the inquiry team and called the report "historic," urging national action to prevent such abuses from recurring.
'Those who carried out these horrible acts are people like us. They live normal lives in society despite causing brutal events,' Yunus said. 'As a nation we must end this atrocity and find a cure so it never returns.'
The report arrives as Bangladesh mourns the recent death of Khaleda Zia, the three-time prime minister and longtime BNP leader. Her passing has raised questions about whether her son, Tarique Rahman, will build on her political legacy.
Note: These are the commission's findings and allegations as reported by the interim authorities and the inquiry. They reflect the commission's conclusions and public statements and have not been independently adjudicated in a court of law.
