Fate of 280 enforced disappearance victims still unknown: ICT chief prosecutor

Some 280 people who were subjected to enforced disappearance during the Awami League government's tenure have remained untraced, Chief Prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) Md Aminul Islam has said.

Investigations into the incidents were now in their final stages, and formal complaints would be filed with the tribunal after the necessary verification was completed, he said on Wednesday.

The chief prosecutor made the remarks after meeting family members of victims who visited him to enquire about the progress of the legal proceedings.

During the meeting, he updated them on the investigations and assured them that justice would be ensured.

Talking to journalists, Aminul said a commission report on enforced disappearances had identified 280 people whose whereabouts and fate remained unknown.

An investigation led by Salahuddin, an investigator of the International Crimes Tribunal, was now looking into the cases together, while the prosecution was providing necessary guidance and support, he said.

Describing the alleged pattern of enforced disappearances during Sheikh Hasina's tenure, the chief prosecutor said law enforcement agencies frequently picked up people who expressed dissenting views.

He said the victims had been allegedly tortured and kept in secret detention for long periods before being produced before courts in fabricated cases.

Aminul Islam said many of the abductions, allegedly carried out with political and state backing, took place around major political events, including elections.

While some victims had been killed in incidents described as “crossfire”, others were abducted and disappeared, he said, adding that many remained untraced.

The chief prosecutor also said the recently enacted Enforced Disappearance (Prevention and Redress) Act, 2026, contained specific provisions for trying such crimes.

He said cases involving enforced disappearances committed on a large scale or as part of a planned and systematic pattern would be tried by the International Crimes Tribunal, while other cases would be heard by the relevant sessions courts.