BNP’s Fakhrul Demands Trial of Sheikh Hasina for Disappearances and Killings

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Friday alleged that former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina must be held accountable for the enforced disappearances and killings that took place during the Awami League’s tenure.

Speaking at a human chain organised on Manik Mia Avenue in Dhaka, Fakhrul said, “It is now clear that Hasina bears responsibility for these killings and disappearances. She must face trial in Bangladesh, and the punishment should be the highest possible.”

The demonstration was arranged by ‘Maayer Dak’, a platform made up of families and relatives of victims of enforced disappearances. Organisers said representatives of more than 100 families joined the programme in remembrance of their loved ones.

Addressing participants, Fakhrul urged them not to lose hope: “People’s struggles never go in vain. History proves that movements for justice eventually succeed.”

He also rejected the idea that BNP would overlook the issue, stressing that the party’s call for elections is directly tied to ensuring justice. “We are part of this struggle, and we will remain in it until those responsible for these crimes are brought before the law,” he added.

The BNP leader criticised the interim government, saying it had failed to make public the work of the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances, to hold hearings, or to ease the pain of victims’ families. “The government must answer for this failure,” he said.

Fakhrul expressed optimism that during the current interim period, detailed information about the perpetrators would come to light. “No one is beyond accountability. There is no crime more appalling than enforced disappearance, and international law treats it as a crime against humanity punishable by death,” he remarked.

Following the human chain, Fakhrul inaugurated a photo exhibition titled “Memories of Disappearance.”