Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) has demanded swift trials of those it accuses of ordering and committing enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings and other human rights violations in Bangladesh, vowing students will resist any attempt to grant “safe exit” or immunity to alleged perpetrators.
In a statement on Saturday, DUCSU vice president Sadiq Kayem, general secretary SM Farhad and assistant general secretary Mohiuddin Khan called for bringing to justice “all members” of what they termed the “fascist administration” of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, along with officers of the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and other security agencies “directly or indirectly involved” in abuses.
The statement described the previous Awami League tenure as “the darkest” period in the country’s history, alleging state-sponsored abductions, unlawful killings, torture, fabricated cases and “crossfire” deaths created a humanitarian crisis.
Citing figures from a “disappearance commission,” it said more than 1,800 complaints had been lodged, affecting ordinary citizens, students, women, workers and opposition activists, with some children also among victims.
DUCSU alleged numerous students from universities and other institutions were detained, tortured or disappeared for dissent, and that the fate of many remains unknown.
It further claimed the commission’s report suggested the “direct or indirect involvement of a neighbouring country” in disappearances and killings, calling this a grave threat to Bangladesh’s national security and sovereignty.
The student body said that responsibility extends beyond political leadership to senior officials in multiple law-enforcement agencies, condemning alleged torture in clandestine detention sites, including “Aynaghar.” It said forced disappearances, fabricated charges and the branding of victims as “militants” formed part of a planned campaign of state terror.
Referring to a recent development, DUCSU said an international criminal tribunal had issued arrest warrants for 28 people—including Sheikh Hasina, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and the head of an agency—over alleged disappearances, secret detentions and torture. The move had offered “a glimmer of hope,” it added, while insisting broader accountability was still required.
DUCSU demanded the prosecution of “those who ordered” rights violations and all officials implicated, the conduct of the disappearance commission’s inquiry to international standards, and justice for affected families. It pledged the student community would remain vocal against any plan to provide “safe exit” or impunity to “identified offenders.”
SMS/
