President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has declared that there will be no more “Aynaghar” — secret detention centers — in independent Bangladesh.
He made the declaration as chief guest at an event held Sunday, August 30, at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Center in the capital, marking “International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances 2026.”
The president said: “Those responsible for every act of enforced disappearance — no matter how powerful they may be — will be brought to justice and must receive the maximum punishment under the law. Every avenue for the return of fascism to this country will be permanently closed.”
Sharply criticizing the “fascist” government of the past decade and a half, he said: “During that period, the agonizing grip of enforced disappearances and the secret detention center known as ‘Aynaghar’ had tightened its hold on Bangladesh. Anyone who protested injustice or took part in movements for democratic rights was abducted and forcibly disappeared. Yet state institutions loyal to the fascists consistently denied this grave crime.”
He said the trial process for enforced disappearances and mass killings is moving forward transparently and in line with international standards.
Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said: “Democracy, human rights, equality and dignity will be the foundation of the state.”
He added: “There will be room for differences of opinion, but no room for political vendetta. There will be no scope to violate human rights and justice in the name of law. Power will remain under the control of the constitution and the law.”