Dhaka, Bangladesh – Emerging from years of darkness and disorientation, Bangladeshi lawyer Ahmad Bin Quasem recounted the harrowing ordeal that began eight years ago with his abrupt abduction. Initially blindfolded and handcuffed by unidentified assailants, Quasem was forcibly taken from his home, marking the start of a prolonged absence from the world outside.
Only recently was Quasem unexpectedly freed, left in a ditch at the edge of Dhaka. This sudden release brought him face-to-face with a nation that had undergone significant political upheaval. The barrister’s freedom coincided with the flight from the country of Sheikh Hasina, the Prime Minister under whose rule Quasem and numerous others had vanished.
Quasem, now 40, had spent the intervening years in complete isolation, confined to a secretive facility known as the ‘House of Mirrors.’ Coined for its design to prevent detainees from seeing anyone but themselves, it was run by army intelligence. Quasem described the extreme conditions of his captivity, shackled and cut off from all external communication, unaware of the passing of time or the fates of loved ones.
The oppressive environment was designed to be disorienting: loud music played continually, interrupted only by the intermittent sounds of other prisoners’ distress echoing through the walls. “It became gradually apparent to me that I wasn’t alone,” Quasem said. “The cries, the torture, the screams—they broke through the music and reached my cell.”
Human Rights Watch had previously reported that over 600 enforced disappearances occurred since Hasina’s return to power in 2009. Many, including Quasem, were kept out of sight, their whereabouts often ascribed to various tragic fates far from the true nature of their detention.
The reason behind Quasem’s capture related to his father, Mir Quasem Ali, a senior figure in the Jamaat-e-Islami party. As his attorney, Ahmad Bin Quasem vigorously defended him against charges of running a paramilitary group during the 1971 liberation war. His vocal critique of the trial’s proceedings and integrity, highlighted by both local and international rights groups, likely placed him on the radar of the authorities.
Having spent those years in captivity, Quasem was blindsided by his liberation, which came about amidst a surge of public dissent primarily led by students seeking political reform. After his unexpected release, a chance encounter led him to a medical clinic associated with a charity once linked to his father. It was there he began reconnecting with his family and the outside world.
At home, the psychological and physical toll of his ordeal was palpable. His once thick hair had thinned dramatically, and his stature was markedly diminished. His wife, Tahmina Akhter, remarked on the social isolation the family endured, compounded by fear and misunderstanding from their community. Their two daughters bore the psychological scars as well; the elder still haunted by witnessing his abduction, the younger unable to remember him at all.
As he reacquaints himself with a markedly changed Bangladesh, Quasem remains hopeful, inspired by the youth who rallied for change. “Seeing these kids leading the way gives me hope that perhaps we are at the dawn of a new era for Bangladesh,” he reflected.
Despite the joy of reunion, Quasem’s mother, Ayesha Khatoon, described the past years as an eternity of pain, marking a chapter that, while closed, leaves a legacy of sorrow and unresolved trauma for many more families besides their own.