Women, Children Tortured, Starved, Disappeared In Bangladesh’s Secret Jails Under Ousted Hasina’s Rule — Report

A commission investigating enforced disappearances in Bangladesh has uncovered evidence that several children were among hundreds of individuals held in secret detention centers under the government of now-ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

The Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances released its preliminary findings on Tuesday, revealing that at least half a dozen children spent months in clandestine prisons alongside their mothers. Disturbingly, the report stated that babies were used as leverage during interrogations, with authorities even denying them milk as a form of coercion.

The commission detailed “multiple verified cases where women disappeared along with their children,” including incidents as recent as 2023. In one case, a pregnant woman and her two young children were detained, and she was reportedly beaten while in custody.

“This was not an isolated case,” the report emphasised.

The investigation also highlighted chilling accounts of torture, including one from a witness who showed investigators the very room where she was detained as a child with her mother. The detention center was reportedly run by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) —a paramilitary force widely feared for its role in enforced disappearances.

“Her mother never returned,” the report stated.

In another harrowing case, a couple and their baby were taken into custody, with interrogators deliberately starving the infant of its mother’s milk to psychologically torment the father into compliance.

Hasina, 77, fled to India—an old ally—in August 2024 after being overthrown in a student-led revolution. Arrest warrants have since been issued against her on charges of crimes against humanity.

Her administration faced long-standing accusations of human rights abuses, including the extrajudicial killing of political opponents and the abduction and disappearance of hundreds of individuals.

During her tenure, Hasina’s government consistently denied involvement in enforced disappearances, dismissing reports by suggesting that many of those listed as missing had drowned while attempting to migrate to Europe via the Mediterranean.

However, the commission maintained that around 200 Bangladeshis remain missing after being abducted by security forces.

Committee member Sazzad Hossain stated that, while some survivors could not identify the specific officers responsible for their torture, their testimonies would be crucial in establishing accountability.

“In such cases, we will recommend holding the commander accountable,”Hossain told AFP.

The report further noted that the impact of these disappearances extended far beyond the victims themselves.

“The effects on the victims’ families have been multifaceted, ranging from severe psychological trauma to legal and financial challenges,” it concluded.

The revelations have intensified calls for justice as Bangladesh grapples with the legacy of Hasina’s rule and the fate of those still missing.