President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir made a solemn commitment on Sunday to guarantee accountability for those impacted by forced abductions, asserting that Bangladesh will permanently forbid the existence of 'Aynaghar' or covert holding facilities.

“Let me state clearly as the President of Bangladesh: there will be no more Aynaghar in this independent Bangladesh. No mother will have to shed tears waiting for her child, and no wife will have to wait for her husband,” he remarked.

The President delivered these observations while addressing a symposium commemorating the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances 2026 held at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre located in Dhaka.

He declared that all wrongdoers implicated in forced abductions will face legal prosecution and incur the maximum statutory penalties permitted by law.

The President additionally underscored that governmental obligations extend beyond simply penalizing the culprits.

“The state must also assume responsibility for the dignity, social security, healthcare, education, livelihoods and rehabilitation of families who have endured years of uncertainty, financial hardship and mental suffering while waiting for their loved ones,” he expressed.

Reflecting upon the sufferers of forced abductions domestically and globally, the President conveyed profound solidarity with their relatives who have spent protracted periods anticipating the return of their family members.

He characterized forced disappearance not as a routine offense, but rather as a crime against humanity alongside a severe breach of fundamental rights.

“Enforced disappearance does not merely take away a person. It takes away the happiness, peace, dreams and economic and social security of their loved ones,” he noted.

Alluding to the preceding fifteen years, the President mentioned that forced abductions, clandestine detention sites, and homicides were deployed to muzzle individuals who raised voices against wrongdoing, articulated dissent, or demanded democratic freedoms.

He pointed out that state apparatuses under the preceding “fascist government” repeatedly refuted such grievous crimes.

The President brought up specific cases including BNP politician Ilias Ali, ward commissioner Chowdhury Alam, and grassroots BNP figure Sajedul Islam Sumon, among others, noting that their households continue to navigate existence marked by anguish, ambiguity, and expectation.

President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir likewise pointed to legal practitioner Barrister Arman, retired Lieutenant General Azmi, alongside numerous dissidents, bureaucrats, authors, reporters, community workers, homemakers, and ordinary citizens who were detained inside the secretive holding installation designated as “Aynaghar” for extended stretches.

While some victims fortunately found their way back, countless others remain unaccounted for, he observed.

The President stated that the tradition of forced abductions and killings generated an atmosphere marked by dread and intimidation within a nation liberated back in 1971 through the sacrifices of freedom fighters who struggled for democracy, equity, freedom of speech, and human worth.

Labeling this a distressing and disgraceful chapter within the nation's heritage, he urged that Bangladesh must presently pursue remediation rather than retaliation.

“Now, instead of revenge, we must ensure redress and bring the actual perpetrators under the law,” he emphasized.

Citing the concluding findings compiled by the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances, the President stated that the panel cataloged 1,569 instances as forced abductions, out of which 287 individuals were ascertained to be missing or deceased.

He explained that the findings distinctly illustrated a surge in forced abductions preceding electoral cycles alongside targeted seizures and clandestine assassinations directed at political adversaries, highlighting how governmental authority was abused to serve factional and personal agendas.

The President maintained that the commission's documentation furnished a vital bedrock, though substantial work remains ahead.

He reported that the Enforced Disappearance Prevention and Remedy Bill, 2026 was formally presented before Parliament to safeguard sufferers alongside their dependents while permanently proscribing forced abductions.

Furthermore, Bangladesh has executed the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, he mentioned, adding that judicial proceedings pertaining to forced abductions and mass atrocities are advancing via the International Crimes Tribunal while preserving transparency and international benchmarks.

Mirza Fakhrul asserted that Bangladesh must evolve into a territory where political pluralism thrives devoid of political vindictiveness, freedom of expression operates free from an atmosphere of terror, and law enforcement agencies never transform into instruments for compromising human rights and equity.

“State power will exist, but that power will remain under the control of the Constitution and the law,” he affirmed.

He stressed that a nation's advancement should not be evaluated solely through economic expansion, but equally by how democratic, welfare-focused, equitable, and compassionate the government functions, alongside how securely and honorably its inhabitants can survive.

“We are committed to building such a new Bangladesh,” he stated.

The President urged all stakeholders to collaborate toward forging a Bangladesh wherein democracy, human rights, equality, and dignity constitute the bedrock of the republic, sound administration governs its bureaucracy, transparency and freedom of speech reinforce democratic structures, and justice transforms into the entitlement of every resident.

He offered prayers for the victims and their households while expressing optimism that Bangladesh will transcend the gloom of forced abductions and impunity to embrace a trajectory defined by truth, equity and humanity.