Chief Advisor Yunus visits three ‘Ayna Ghor' detention sites in Dhaka

He was accompanied by the victims and media personnel alongside others, the CAO says

Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus has visited three secret detention facilities known as "Ayna Ghor", which gained notoriety during the Awami League government's tenure.

During the visit on Wednesday, he saw an electric chair used for torture and inscriptions, including verses from the Quran, written on the walls by a victim, the Chief Advisor’s Office, or CAO, said.

The head of the interim government toured locations in Agargaon, Kochukhet, and Uttara in the capital. He was accompanied by advisory council members, members of the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances, victims, and local and international media personnel, according to the CAO.

On Feb 6, the CAO said that Yunus would visit the controversial interrogation facilities, widely known as “Ayna Ghor” or “house of mirrors”, run by the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence, or DGFI, in the coming days following a meeting of the interim cabinet.

While no exact date was specified, the statement confirmed he would visit “as soon as possible” and would be accompanied by journalists.

Earlier on Jan 29, Yunus expressed his intention to visit the “Ayna-Ghor” detention cells.

The members of the inquiry commission highlighted the progress of the investigation into enforced disappearances to the interim government head on that day.

The commission said the victims of enforced disappearances would be reassured and encouraged by the chief advisor's visit “Ayna Ghor”.

News of Yunus's planned visit raised expectations among survivors and relatives, who hoped to be part of the delegation.

However, on Feb 5, Netra News reported that military authorities had objected to the presence of journalists and survivors, effectively “stalling” the visit.

Citing four officials, Netra News reported that the Army Headquarters opposed allowing media and survivors inside Ayna Ghor, fearing it could “damage the army’s reputation”.

The investigative outlet also revealed that the Commission on Enforced Disappearances had issued a formal memo to the government in late January, warning that they would cancel their own scheduled Ayna Ghor visit on Feb 3 if survivors were barred from joining.

The memo, quoted in the report, stated: "Excluding survivors from the visit would violate their legal rights. A visit without them would be ineffective."

The decision for the chief advisor’s visit was finalised amid ongoing debates over these concerns.

During the Awami League government’s tenure, numerous opposition figures were allegedly abducted and detained in secret locations without trial.

These shadowy detention sites became known as Ayna Ghor.

Some detainees returned to their families with harrowing accounts of torture, while many remain missing.

The interim government’s Commission on Enforced Disappearances has identified several such facilities run by different security forces.

"The 'Ayna Ghor' is within the compound of the DGFI. It's a two-storey building with 20 to 22 cells on the ground floor. There are a few rooms on the second floor. It is called 'Ayna Ghor' on social media but basically, it's a joint interrogation cell," commission chief retired High Court judge Moinul Islam Chowdhury said on Oct 3, 2024.

In the Jan 19 meeting, commission members detailed brutal cases, including the enforced disappearance of a 6-year-old child.

In response, Yunus acknowledged the severity of the findings, saying: "The cases uncovered in your investigation are chilling. I will visit Ayna Ghor soon.”