Bangladesh disputes study into alleged forced disappearances

Bangladesh is disputing a Human Rights Watch investigation into disappearances of government critics and others as built on questionable, uncorroborated allegations that security forces were involved

DHAKA, Bangladesh -- Bangladesh on Wednesday disputed a Human Rights Watch investigation into disappearances of government critics and others as built on questionable, uncorroborated allegations that security forces were involved. The government has long denied allegations of forced disappearances, and its latest denial followed a report the rights group released Monday that identified 86 people who remain missing after allegedly being targeted by security forces. The group is urging the United Nations to independently investigate. The study is “built on questionable sources of information that in many instances should not be believed," said Ferdousi Shahriar, the deputy chief of mission at Bangladesh's embassy in Washington. She said the report was based on interviews with “unidentified individuals,” including 60 interviews with unnamed people, 81 citations from unnamed individuals, as well as 7 anonymous witnesses. She added in the statement that the study “conflates" what could be kidnappings with “government-sponsored disappearances.”