Several human rights organizations held a protest rally under the banner of the Bangladeshi American Concerned Citizens at the United Nations headquarters on Tuesday, 30 August 2022 to commemorate the International Day of the Victims of the Enforced Disappearances. They asked for the return of the missing in Bangladesh to their families. The Coalition for Human Rights and Democracy in Bangladesh, Human Rights and Development for Bangladesh, South Asian Policy Initiative, Missing Relatives Organization, Mayer Dak and other organizations joined the demonstration.
Members of the victim’s families and people from various professions also joined the protest.
The Secretary of CHRD Bangladesh, Imran Ansary and CHRD Bangladesh Board Member Rita Rahman, prominent writer Dr. Mina Farah and the President of HRDB Mahtab Uddin Ahmed spoke at the protest rally, while Mahbubur Rahman moderated the rally.
A victim’s uncle, Mir Masum Ali, spoke on behalf of the family of the missing Barrister Arman. The rights groups demanded that fascism be eradicated from Bangladesh, that the mothers of the disappeared be reunited with their sons and siblings with their brothers.
The speakers said that enforced disappearances and murders should be stopped immediately in Bangladesh. Relatives who are already missing should be immediately returned to their families and that he United Nations should set up an independent commission to investigate enforced disappearances in Bangladesh. At that time, a demand arose from the gathering that the “Ayna Ghor”, the house of mirrors, located in the Dhaka Cantonment should be demolished immediately.
After the demonstration, a memorandum was given to the United Nations Secretary General, Mr. António Guterres on behalf of CHRD Bangladesh.
