'House of Mirrors': Inside Bangladesh's secret jails for critics of Sheikh Hasina

Hundreds of individuals were allegedly abducted by security forces for their dissent against the Hasina-led Awami League government since 2009. Shocking details have emerged about secret prisons in Bangladesh where dissidents of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to New Delhi after her government collapsed in August, are held.

The 'Aynaghor' or 'House of Mirrors'

A report in The New York Times reveals that several victims of forced abduction have spoken out about their experiences in the "Aynaghor" or "House of Mirrors." Human rights organizations estimate that more than 700 people were forcibly disappeared between 2009 and 2024, though the actual number could be higher due to harassment from government agencies hindering documentation efforts.

Of those who disappeared, about 450 were eventually released, often after months or years of silence. Approximately 80 people were killed, with their bodies returned to their families, while around 150 victims remain unaccounted for.

Tales of Torture and Humiliation

Maroof Zaman, a former Bangladeshi ambassador to Qatar and Vietnam, who spent 467 days in the prison before re-emerging in 2019, claims the "House of Mirrors" was located on a military garrison in Dhaka. He deduced this from the discipline and precision of the guards and the morning parades he could hear from his cell. “Every Friday, you could hear the children singing,” Zaman told The New York Times.

The prison was designed with long corridors and cells facing away from each other, each with a large exhaust fan to drown out the guards’ chatter and torment the prisoners. The goal was psychological torture, as detailed in The New York Times report.

During interrogations, inmates were physically tortured. Zaman recounted being hooded, punched in the face, and shown printed copies of his social media and blog posts. Interrogators taunted him about the cost of printing his posts, asking if his father would repay the money.

Unimaginable Suffering

Abdullahil Amaan Azmi, a former army general detained in the 'House of Mirrors' because his father was a senior Islamist leader, told the newspaper he was blindfolded and handcuffed 41,000 times during his eight years of captivity. “I did not see God’s sky, the sun, the grass, the moon, the trees,” Azmi said, adding that he prayed for a dignified death to escape the humiliation and pain he endured.

The harrowing accounts from the "House of Mirrors" reveal a grim chapter in Bangladesh's history, where dissent was met with extreme and inhumane measures.