Zakir Hossain / Dhaka
Bangladesh’s chief adviser Muhammad Yunus visited the secret detention facility known as “Aynaghar” on the morning of February 12, Wednesday. Accompanied by local and international media, Yunus expressed profound dismay at the conditions and operations of the center, which has long been shrouded in secrecy. “Such a thing that exists as humanity—[Aynaghar] has taken it far and deep from that, to the point of erasing it entirely. What I witnessed is utterly atrocious, and we are left in disbelief,” Yunus stated to reporters following his inspection.
Located within the headquarters of the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) in Dhaka’s Kachukhet area, Aynaghar has gained notoriety as a clandestine detention center housing approximately 22 cells. The facility has been linked to widespread allegations of enforced disappearances and human rights abuses under the Hasina regime.
According to a commission investigating enforced disappearances, state forces have been accused of forcibly abducting individuals from diverse backgrounds and detaining them in undisclosed locations, with Aynaghar emerging as a focal point of these operations. The commission’s findings have shed light on the grim reality of the facility, sparking international concern.