Dhaka, Aug. 9 -- When 24-year-old student leader Tanvir Hasan was allegedly taken from his Gazipur home by plainclothes men in August 2022, his family immediately petitioned the High Court for a writ of habeas corpus, seeking his production in court.

Two and a half years later, the case has yet to be substantively heard, and the police report remains pending. His mother, Rokeya Begum, still visits the court weekly in hope of news.

The family of Mohammad Zakir Hossain, a student leader, has been waiting far longer. Hossain was last seen on 3 April 2013. His brother, Ataur Rahman, said they first heard of his arrest via a television news scroll.

Flatmates later told the family that four or five plainclothes men, identifying themselves as...