For the first time in half a decade, Michael Chakma saw the sun. He had escaped, but he could barely remember where to go or who to call. Five years prior, Chakma was abducted by Bangladeshi intelligence, and from that day on, he was subjected to torture, stuck in the darkness, and only able to hear the screams of other prisoners. The discovery of Aynaghor, a secret military prison in Bangladesh, has drawn international attention to the pervasive and disturbing practice of state-sponsored repression in South Asia. Known as the “House of Mirrors,” Aynaghor operated as a tool of suppression under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s administration, detaining over 700 journalists, activists, and opposition figures between 2009 and 2024. Survivors have begun recounting horrific stories of psychological and physical torture, shedding light on a systematic campaign to eliminate dissent. While the revelation has caused political fallout in Bangladesh, Aynaghor is far from an isolated case. It reflects a broader trend across South Asia, where enforced disappearances and other repressive tactics are used by authoritarian regimes to maintain power. Even more troubling is the muted international response, driven by geopolitical interests that prioritize strategic alliances over human rights, which has emboldened these regimes to act with impunity. Aynaghor’s emergence exposes the dark underbelly of governance in Bangladesh.
During her years in power, Sheikh Hasina was often celebrated internationally for stabilizing the country and promoting economic growth. However, beneath this veneer, her administration systematically suppressed opposition voices, using enforced disappearances as a key instrument of control. The prison’s very design—depriving detainees of light, voice, and identity—was emblematic of an effort to erase dissent without public acknowledgment. Survivors describe prolonged isolation, blindfolds that never came off, and constant psychological torment. This calculated brutality was not just about silencing individuals; it was about instilling fear throughout society.
Commonalities Across South Asia
Bangladesh, however, is not alone in this practice. In Indian-administered Kashmir, enforced disappearances have become a grim reality for decades. The Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP) estimates that more than 8,000 people have vanished since the 1990s, many of them taken into custody by Indian security forces under the guise of counterinsurgency operations. Families in the region are left in a perpetual state of limbo, searching for loved ones while being ignored or harassed by authorities. Enforced disappearances in Kashmir have become part of a larger strategy to suppress political dissent and ensure compliance with India’s policies in the region. The use of these tactics erodes any possibility of trust in democratic institutions, creating a culture of fear that paralyzes civil society.
Pakistan follows a similar pattern, particularly in the restive province of Balochistan, where security forces have been accused of abducting thousands of activists, students, and journalists. Disappearances in Pakistan, like those in Bangladesh and Kashmir, are not random acts of violence but systematic tools of repression. Victims are often those who speak out against government policies or advocate for greater autonomy for marginalized regions. As with Aynaghor, the silence surrounding these disappearances is both intentional and strategic. By removing individuals without leaving evidence, regimes aim to intimidate broader movements while maintaining plausible deniability on the international stage. Sri Lanka’s history of enforced disappearances further illustrates the prevalence of this tactic in South Asia. During the final stages of its civil war in 2009, thousands of Tamil civilians were reportedly abducted by the government under the pretense of rooting out insurgents. Despite international awareness of these atrocities, accountability remains elusive. The Sri Lankan government has resisted calls for independent investigations, and the international community has largely failed to apply sufficient pressure for justice. This pattern of impunity mirrors the Aynaghor case and highlights how state violence is not an aberration but a deeply embedded strategy of governance in the region.
The Geopolitical Costs of Ignoring Human Rights Abuses
The muted international response to these abuses has enabled their proliferation. Historically, Western powers like the United States have often positioned themselves as defenders of democracy and human rights, intervening diplomatically—or militarily—when states commit gross violations. However, in recent years, geopolitical priorities have taken precedence. In the case of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina’s government was viewed as a reliable ally in countering Chinese influence in South Asia. The U.S. and other Western nations largely turned a blind eye to her administration’s authoritarian tendencies, prioritizing stability and strategic partnerships over addressing human rights abuses. This trend is not unique to Bangladesh. In Pakistan, military cooperation and counterterrorism efforts often overshadow concerns about enforced disappearances and repression. In India, the country’s growing role as a counterweight to China and its significance as a global market have muted criticism of its actions in Kashmir. Similarly, in Sri Lanka, post-war economic recovery and geopolitical alignment with powers like China and India have taken precedence over calls for justice for the disappeared. This selective approach to human rights erodes global credibility, signaling to authoritarian regimes that repression will not carry significant consequences as long as they remain geopolitically valuable.
The consequences of this global indifference are profound. For the victims of enforced disappearances and their families, the silence is both a source of immense pain and a barrier to justice. Survivors, like those who have emerged from Aynaghor, face lifelong psychological and physical scars, while families live with unanswered questions about their loved ones’ fates. On a broader scale, these abuses erode democratic values and create environments where fear stifles civic engagement. When governments operate with impunity, civil society and opposition movements are weakened, leaving little room for accountability or reform. Breaking this cycle requires a global commitment to prioritize human rights over short-term geopolitical interests. In the case of Aynaghor and similar abuses across South Asia, the international community must demand accountability through independent investigations, sanctions against perpetrators, and conditional foreign aid tied to tangible improvements in governance and human rights practices. Organizations like the United Nations should play a central role in documenting and addressing enforced disappearances, ensuring that survivors and families receive justice. Awareness is equally important. South Asia’s political crises often receive limited coverage in Western media, overshadowed by events in the Middle East or the global North. This lack of visibility perpetuates ignorance and allows these abuses to continue unchecked. Highlighting cases like Aynaghor in international discourse can help challenge the normalization of state-sponsored repression and amplify the voices of those demanding justice.
The Aynaghor revelations are a wake-up call. They highlight not only the scale of repression in Bangladesh but also the broader trend of state violence across South Asia. More importantly, they expose the complicity of an international system that prioritizes alliances over accountability. If the global community continues to ignore these abuses, it risks emboldening regimes to deepen their authoritarian practices, further endangering the lives and freedoms of millions. Now is the time to act—to listen to survivors, support their demands for justice, and reaffirm the universal importance of human rights. Only then can we begin to dismantle the systems of repression that Aynaghor so brutally symbolizes.
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