Hundreds killed in Bangladesh abductions during Hasina’s rule, commission says
A government-appointed commission in Bangladesh has reported that at least 287 people were killed during disappearances under the rule of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina. The commission, formed after Hasina was toppled by a mass uprising in August 2024, investigated over 1,500 abduction cases. Many victims were believed to be opposition members, and some bodies were found in mass graves or dumped in rivers. The commission has called for forensic cooperation to help identify the victims.
What we know
- The commission said at least 287 people were presumed dead following abductions during Sheikh Hasina’s rule.
- Some victims’ bodies were found in unmarked graves or dumped in rivers like the Buriganga in Dhaka.
- The commission was formed after Hasina was ousted in a mass uprising in August 2024 and investigated 1,569 abduction cases.
- Many abducted individuals were from opposition parties, including Jamaat-e-Islami and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
- In a separate probe, police began exhuming a mass grave in Dhaka in December, finding at least eight victims of the uprising against Hasina.
