‘Stop enforced disappearances, return victims to families’

In observance of the International Forced Disappearance Week, human rights activists and relatives of the victims of forced disappearances have formed human-chain in Feni.

Chanting slogans against all sorts of forced disappearances, they called for returning the victims of forced diappearance to their respective families as soon as possible.

Roushan Ara Begum, mother of the forced disappearance victim Juba Dal leader Mahbubur Rahman Ripon, read out the keynote paper formed at Shaheed Shahidullah Kaiser Road in Feni district town on Friday (May 26) morning.

It was stated in the keynote paper that every last week of May is commemorated as the International Week of the Disappearance.

Speakers at the human-chain demanded return of the victims of enforced disappearance to their respective families. They alleged that Feni Juba Dal leader Mahbubur Rahman Ripon’s family could not trace his whereabouts though the law enforcers had picked him up nine years ago.

They called upon the state to take stronger role so that no individual like Ripon became the victim of enforced disappearance.

The human-chain was jointly formed by ‘Mayer Daak,’ a platform of the families of the victims of enforced disappearance allegedly by government agencies, and Human Rights Defenders Network.

It was presided over by Feni Press Club president, Weekly Feni Khabar editor and Channel i’s Feni correspondent Rabiul Huque Robi and moderated by ‘Mayer Daak’ and Human Rights Defenders Network’s coordinator and daily Manabjamin’s district correspondent Nazmul Huq Shamim.

Feni Press Club’s former president and Dainik Sangram’s district correspondent AKM Abdur Rahim, Feni Press Club’s former president, DBC News and Daily Observer’s Feni correspondent Muhammad Abu Taher Bhuiyan, Sushashoner Janya Nagorik (Sujon) Feni district general secretary and Daily Feni Somoy’s editor Mohammad Shahadat Hossain spoke at the human-chain.

It was also addressed by Feni Reporters Unity general secretary Ali Haider Manik, Feni Beacon College lecturer and Dipto TV’s district correspondent Abdullah Al Mamun, Odhikar’s defender Tonni Som and Alapon Abriti Charcha Kendra Feni’s joint organising secretary Abdus Salam Farayezi.