What we saw was far from humanity: CA Yunus visits Aynaghar at DGFI
Lines of detention chambers with iron-barred doors, electric motor-run spinning chairs to torture the captives, names and messages etched on the walls, little ventilation and bare sanitation – the images will leave anyone shaken.
No sane person can fathom the horrors the victims have endured within these cramped, and oppressive chambers, living in an atmosphere heavy with violence, fear, and uncertainty, as they waited with dread.
These visuals came on social and mainstream media after the press wing released photos and videos from the visit of Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus to three secret detention centres, known as "Aynaghar", which were set up during the 15-year Awami League rule for victims of enforced disappearances and dissenters, in Dhaka today.
"That a thing such as humanity exists, [Aynaghar] has taken it too far from that [and] erased it entirely…It all appears so atrocious and we are in disbelief," he told reporters after visiting the sites in Agargaon, Kachukhet, and Uttara areas of the capital.
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A victim accompanied the chief adviser and his team. She was just an 11-year-old child when Sheikh Hasina's security forces abducted her along with her mother a decade ago. They were kept at one Aynaghar at a RAB office. She was later released but her mother never came back.
Advisers Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain and Md Nahid Islam, key figures of the July uprising who were also with Prof Yunus during the visit, confirmed recognising the torture cells where they had been held.
Prof Yunus was also joined by advisers Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Asif Nazrul, and Adilur Rahman Khan, along with members of the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances, victims, and media representatives.
"Some of the people who fell victim to the torture at Aynaghar are with us here, and we've heard from them what they faced. Such events [the victims' detention and torture] are inexplicable," Yunus said.
"People were picked up from the streets without cause, and then explosives were planted in their vehicles to label them as terrorists or extremists [when they were taken to the Aynaghar]," the chief adviser added.
The "Aynaghar" located within the headquarters of the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) in the Kachukhet area of the capital is described as a notorious detention centre with around 22 cells. It was documented by the commission investigating enforced disappearances that occurred during the tenure of the former government.
Reports say that state forces forcibly abducted individuals from various backgrounds and detained them at secret detention centres at undisclosed locations, which later became knownas "Aynaghar" following a report by Sweden-based news outlet Netra News.
'700-800 Aynaghars across the country'
The chief adviser also expressed shock that such "torture cells" are spread out across the country where people would be taken and subjected to torture.
"Some say there are 700 cells, others say 800. The number of such cells has yet to be determined, as there are some known, while others are yet to be discovered.
"We spoke with some of the victims, but the total number exceeds 1,750. The actual figure remains unknown, with estimates suggesting it could be over 3,000," he said.
Yunus said, "We often hear the term Ayyam-e-Jahiliyyah [the era of ignorance which refers to the period in Arabia before the rise of Islam]. The previous government entrenched this ignorance in every sector, and this is just one example of it."
Lauding the efforts by the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances, he said their reports helped extract how an individual could be stripped of their basic human rights through violations, among other offences, through these crimes.
"I am very grateful to the commission because it was not an easy job – they had to fight in all directions to discover [the torture cells]…And they are still worrying about whether we can keep the evidence as they are after all these things that have happened," he said.
He further said upon his visitation of the torture cells, this now stands as a major documentation with the media and the interim government as witnesses.
"The evidence, documentation, and testimonies of these incidents will be part of the Enforced Disappearance Commission's report, which must be considered essential reading for all. Those responsible must be brought to justice," said the chief adviser.
On bringing to justice those responsible for these horrific crimes, he said, "We want justice to be swift, not delayed by unnecessary complications. Our top priority is ensuring a timely resolution so victims can finally find relief."
Earlier on 6 February, it was decided at the Advisory Council meeting that the chief adviser, along with local and foreign media, would visit Aynaghar.
All Aynaghars across Bangladesh will be identified: CA's press secretary
The Chief Adviser's Press Secretary, Shafiqul Alam, has said all secret detention and torture centres known as Aynaghar across Bangladesh will be identified.
During a press briefing at the Foreign Service Academy auditorium in the capital this afternoon, he said, "The Human Rights Watch report clearly states that the deposed autocrat Sheikh Hasina was involved in enforced disappearances and killings, carried out under her directives."
Welcoming the UN's fact-finding report on the July uprising, Shafiqul Alam said all those involved in torture and prolonged detention will be brought under the law, and the interim government is working toward that goal.
Addressing concerns about the destruction of evidence in secret detention centres, he said, "The Disappearance Commission is investigating whether evidence has been tampered with or not.
"Prosecutors of the International Crimes Tribunal are also reviewing the ongoing cases. Every secret detention centre will be sealed as evidence because these will be needed in our legal proceedings."
"The Disappearance Commission will determine whether evidence has indeed been destroyed. In some places, we have seen plastering over walls. In others, small rooms have been expanded by demolishing walls to make them appear larger. Whether this was done deliberately or unintentionally will be decided by the commission and the International Crimes Tribunal," he added.
