Families Demand Justice for Disappeared in Dhaka

Dozens of relatives of the victims of enforced disappearance gathered in front of the office of the new Bangladeshi Chief Adviser, seeking justice.

Bangladesh's Nobel Peace Prize winning economist Muhammad Yunus was sworn in as the head of the country's caretaker government last week, days after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was forced to quit and flee the country following violent protests.

“We want to know what has happened to my brother and the eight people who were picked up with him. We want to learn about their whereabouts. We want an official answer within 24 hours. We want justice and the arrest of the officers who did it.” coordinator of mayer daak organization, Sanjida Islam, said.

Yunus met relatives of the victims. One of the groups gathered there was Mayer Daak (Mother's Calling), a group of mothers, sisters, and wives of missing people.

Yunus promised the families to take action to find out what had happened to the disappeared people, mostly Hasina's opponents, and justice.

Often seen in public with a Bangladeshi flag tied across his forehead, Nahid Islam is a soft-spoken sociology student who spearheaded the protest that ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina after 15 straight years in power.

"The mass murders and looting that occurred during Sheikh Hasina’s tenure, along with corruption, enforced disappearances, and the stripping of voting rights, are all serious issues involving Sheikh Hasina and her government. They will be brought to justice. Once they face proper trials, it will be up to the people of the country to decide whether the Awami League will be allowed to return to politics," he said.

Islam, 26, was the coordinator of a student movement against quotas in government jobs that morphed into a campaign to oust Hasina. He rose to national fame in mid-July after police detained him and some other Dhaka University students as the protests turned deadly.