Abdullahil Amaan Azmi (Bengali: আবদুল্লাহিল আমান আযমী) is a former Bangladeshi Army officer and the son of Ghulam Azam, the former Ameer of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami.[1] He was subjected to enforced disappearance in 2016 and was held captive in ‘Aynaghar’, a secret detention center operated by the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence.[2][3] On August 6, 2024, he was released from ‘Aynaghar’ following the resignation of Sheikh Hasina.[4]
Brigadier general (Retd.) Abdullahil Amaan Al Azmi | |
|---|---|
| Born | 24 December 1960 Mia Shaheb Moidan, East Pakistan, Pakistan |
| Allegiance |  Bangladesh |
| Service |  Bangladesh Army |
| Years of service | 1981-2009 |
| Rank |  Brigadier General |
| Unit | East Bengal Regiment |
| Commands |
|
| Awards | Sword of Honour (BMA) |
| Relations | Ghulam Azam (Father) |
Early life
editAzmi completed his S.S.C. at the Government Laboratory High School and H.S.C. at Notre Dame College, Dhaka.[5]
Career
editAzmi was commissioned in 1981 in East Bengal Regiment of Bangladesh Army with 5th BMA Long Course from Bangladesh Military Academy.[6]
Azmi was awarded the Sword of Honour for coming first on officer training. He rose to the rank of Brigadier General. Azmi was summarily dismissed from the Bangladesh Army by the Bangladesh Awami League government without pension and without any explanation. He had the rank of Brigadier General at the time of his dismissal.[6] On 12 November 2012, Azmi testified as a defence witness in the trial of his father, Ghulam Azam, International Crimes Tribunal-1. He was the lone defence witness at the trial.[7] He expressed dismay with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party for not speaking about the death of his father.[8] He led the Janaza (prayer) at the funeral of his father at the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque.[9]
In 2015, Azmi controversially challenged the number of Indian soldiers killed in the Bangladesh Liberation war following a Facebook post by Journalist Anjan Roy. He also questioned the number of Bangladeshi citizens killed in the Bangladesh genocide. There have been claims that the unit of “lakh” was mistranslated to a million increasing the claimed deaths tenfold. This triggered criticism from Bangladesh civil society members and media.[10]
Disappearance and release
editAzmi was detained by plainclothes officers of Bangladesh Police on 24 August 2016 from his home in Moghbazar, Dhaka, Bangladesh.[11] Around the same time, two other sons of opposition leaders were detained, Hummam Quader Chowdhury, son of Salauddin Quader Chowdhury, and Mir Ahmad Bin Quasem, son of Mir Quasem Ali. Azmi's father died in 2014 while in jail after being convicted for war crimes in the Bangladesh Liberation war.[12][13] In March 2017, Hummam Quader Chowdhury was released, and he could not say who had detained him.[14]
In 2022, an investigation by the Swedish based news network Netra News revealed that Azmi was being held at Aynaghar, a secret prison run by the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence.[15]
Azmi was released from Aynaghar on 6 August 2024, the day after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled Bangladesh following popular protests.[16] After being admitted into a hospital for better treatment, he said, "How long have I not seen the light and air, I have not seen the world of Allah, I have not been allowed to hear the call to prayer. The amount of tears that I have wiped on this towel, if collected, a lake could have been made."[4]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Ex-Jamaat leader's son abducted in Dhaka". Arab News. 23 August 2016. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
- ^ Rowlatt, Justin (13 October 2016). "Fears over Bangladesh's 'disappeared'". BBC News. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
- ^ "How Enforced Disappearances Get Suppressed in Bangladeshi Media". The Diplomat. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
- ^ a b "Former army brigadier released after 8 years following Hasina's downfall". The Siasat Daily. 10 August 2024.
- ^ "Ghulam Azam's son Abdullahil Amaan Azmi triggers a new controversy". Bdnews24.com. 31 May 2015. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
- ^ a b "Brig Gen Azmi dismissed". The Daily Star. 25 June 2009. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
- ^ "Defended only by his son". The Daily Star. 16 July 2013. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
- ^ "Ghulam Azam family upset with BNP". The Daily Star. 31 October 2014. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
- ^ "A tricky last wish that could not be fulfilled". The News International. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
- ^ "Ghulam Azam's son Abdullahil Amaan Azmi triggers a new controversy". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
- ^ Bergman, David. "Bangladesh's many 'disappeared' often return dead – if at all". Scroll.in. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
- ^ "Bangladesh police accused of abducting ex-JI chief's son". Dawn. 24 August 2016. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
- ^ "Concern over missing sons of Bangladeshi politicians". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
- ^ "Hummam Quader cannot remember anything about abduction". Dhaka Tribune. 3 March 2017. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
- ^ "Secret prisoners of Dhaka". Netra News — নেত্র নিউজ. 2022-08-14. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
- ^ "Amaan Azmi, Arman released after 8-yr captivity". Prothom Alo. 2024-08-06. Retrieved 2024-08-07.