Bangladesh: Speaker Hafizuddin Accuses Sheikh Hasina of Masterminding Enforced Disappearances and Extrajudicial Killings

DHAKA — Jatiya Sangsad Speaker Major (Retd.) Hafizuddin Ahmed, Bir Bikram, has publicly accused ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of being the principal mastermind behind systematic enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings during her tenure. Addressing a discussion session organized by local civil society members at the Bhola Lalmohan Upazila Parishad Auditorium, the Speaker said evidence and testimonies presented before the International Crimes Tribunal clearly establish Hasina’s direct responsibility for ordering these human rights violations.
Calling her “the best actress in the world,” the Speaker highlighted what he described as severe hypocrisy in Hasina’s public conduct — routinely inviting grieving families of the disappeared and killed to her official residence, Ganabhaban, offering condolences and personal assurances of their loved ones’ safe return, while fully aware of their actual custodial status or fate. He cited the case of Jamaat-e-Islami politician and barrister Mir Ahmed Bin Quasem, held shackled and in solitary confinement for eight years inside the “Aynaghar” (House of Mirrors) secret detention network, released only after Hasina fled the country.
The Speaker also highlighted large-scale institutional corruption under the previous Awami League administration, citing irregularities in public procurement — including reports of a pillow budgeted at 60,000 taka and a curtain at 42,000 taka under the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project — and allegations against a former state minister accused of embezzling funds to acquire 360 properties in London. He concluded that such state-level irregularities would no longer be tolerated, expressing hope for a future built on transparency, institutional accountability, and judicial justice.