Babul Hawlader, whose son Sunny was disappeared in 2013, demonstrating in the days after the fall of Hasina’s government in Dhaka. — ©2024 The New York Times Company
WHEN guards stormed into his underground cell before dawn, Mir Ahmad Quasem Arman feared the end had come.
For eight long years, he’d been confined to a windowless prison, enveloped in eternal darkness.
Already a subscriber? Log in.
Subscribe or renew your subscriptions to win prizes worth up to RM68,000!
Cancel anytime. No ads. Auto-renewal. Unlimited access to the web and app. Personalised features. Members rewards.
Secret prisoners
Relatives of Sajedul Islam Sumon, one of hundreds of Bangladeshis who was abducted by state security forces, weep after hearing unverified reports of his death.
Arman after his ‘release’ near a mosque in Bangladesh. — Photos: ©2024 The New York Times Company
Shirin Akhtar asking soldiers in Dhaka for help locating her son, Mohamad Sayed. — ©2024 The New York Times Company
Army personnel guard a vandalised police station in Dhaka after the ouster of Sheikh Hasina.
Yunus receiving Hazera Khatun and other widows and relatives of those who disappeared under the ousted government’s regime, at the Jamuna State Guest House in Dhaka, Bangladesh. — ©2024 The New York Times Company
Maroof Zaman, a former ambassador who once spent 15 months as a political prisoner in Bangladesh’s notorious ‘House of Mirrors’ at home in Dhaka.
A photo taken before Arman's eight-year abduction as a political prisoner of the previous Bangladeshi government, on a phone held by his wife in Dhaka.
A photo of Mir Ahmad Quasem Arman, taken before his eight-year abduction as a political prisoner of the previous Bangladeshi government, on a phone held by his wife in Dhaka.
Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!
