ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCE : Khaleda wants UN-supervised probe

0267

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson, Khaleda Zia, on Sunday demanded international investigation under the supervision of the United Nations into the incidents of enforced disappearance in the country.
At a meeting to express sympathy to the victims of enforced disappearance at her Gulshan office, Khaleda said that the government would never carry out any investigation as it was involved in the crimes.
BNP organised the meeting marking the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances.
‘We demand an international investigation into the incidents of enforced disappearances as the government will not do it…We demand to form a probe body under the supervision of the United Nations immediately for the investigation’, Khaleda said.
She said that neutral people in the country could be involved in the probe body.
Khaleda said that the government was paying no heed to the demand of the families of the victims of enforced disappearances to find out them, as the government itself was involved in the enforced disappearances.
‘State terrorism is going on in the country. Killing, terrorism and enforced disappearance are going with sponsor of the government…RAB and police are carrying out the crimes being directed by the government,’ she said.
Khaleda alleged that the enforced disappearance was started after Awami League assumed power.
‘They [government] are selecting our promising young leaders and killing them to destroy our future leadership,’ she said.
Khaleda assured the victim families that BNP would investigate and punish those involved in the enforced disappearances, if it was voted to power.
She alleged that the authorities forced the families of the victims of the enforced disappearances to refrain from holding a programme against disappearances scheduled for Sunday at the National Press Club to mark the day.
Members of 26 victim families were present at the programme. A documentary was also shown at the programme where it was demanded that 374 people were made victims of enforced disappearance during the Awami League tenure from 2009 to July of 2015.
BNP senior leaders including Moudud Ahmed, Nazrul Islam Khan, Jamiruddin Sircar, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Abdullah Al Noman, Selima Rahman, Shamsuzzaman Dudu and Md Shajahan were also present.
Source: New Age