Enforced Disappearances Bangladesh: Demand Justice & Prevention Now

Enforced Disappearances in Bangladesh remain an urgent concern as undersigned organizations call upon the Bangladesh government to pursue truth, justice, and reparations for victims and their families, along with assurances against future occurrences of enforced disappearances. This plea coincides with the observance of the International Week of the Disappeared. Under the 15-and-a-half-year governance of the Awami League, enforced disappearance became a systematic method of state oppression. Numerous unlawful detention centers operated nationwide, where opposition leaders, activists, and individuals labeled as "militants" faced arbitrary detentions. Notably, facilities like the Joint Interrogation Centre and the Taskforce Interrogation Centre were notorious for torture and mistreatment. Many detainees were subsequently charged under fabricated allegations invoking the Anti-Terrorism Act, 2009, the Arms Act, 1878, and the Explosive Substances Act, 1908. Such practices formed part of a comprehensive strategy to suppress political dissent and critical voices. A landmark mass uprising led by students on 5 August 2024 resulted in the downfall of the Awami League government. An interim government subsequently established a Commission of Inquiry into Enforced Disappearances, which documented over 1,600 cases; 251 individuals remain missing, whereas 1,282 resurfaced following periods of enforced disappearance and unlawful detention. Alarmingly, over 60% of these victims were politically affiliated. The Commission also noted several instances of cross-border renditions to India. The political and institutional environment in Bangladesh has permitted the continued occurrence of enforced disappearances. Narratives driven by security concerns have normalized these unlawful acts within governance frameworks. These violations are inherently linked to widespread torture, with victims experiencing prolonged physical and psychological suffering. A pervasive culture of impunity ingrained in the system has manipulated the criminal justice process to validate repression while shielding offenders. Survivors, thus, often face intimidation, resulting in their hesitance to testify. Bangladesh ratified the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (ICPPED) on 29 August 2024. Before this, there was no specific domestic law addressing enforced disappearance. In alignment with international commitments, the interim government introduced the Enforced Disappearance Prevention and Redress Ordinance, 2025, alongside the National Human Rights Commission Ordinance, 2025, to criminalize enforced disappearance and bolster the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). However, following the 13th National Parliamentary Election, the newly formed Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)-led government, despite achieving a two-thirds majority, opted not to enforce these ordinances, essentially nullifying them. While the government assures stronger future legislation, the recently proposed draft laws threaten to dilute institutional independence, oversight, and efficacy. Under these new proposals, the NHRC would lack the authority to investigate severe human rights abuses like enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, confining it to merely requesting reports from the government. This situation marks a withdrawal from the authority granted by the 2025 ordinance, which empowered the Commission to directly engage with security forces. Both proposed draft laws significantly weaken the provisions of the 2025 ordinances and jeopardize accountability efforts. Failure to enact the Enforced Disappearance Prevention and Redress Ordinance, 2025, represents a severe injustice to victims, contradicting the commitments made by the BNP in the July National Charter 2025 and undermining a vital aspect of the ICPPED, which requires states to implement domestic laws in accordance with the treaty. Furthermore, the 2025 ordinance, along with the new draft laws, includes the death penalty as a sentencing option, conflicting with Bangladesh’s obligations under Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). Families of those who remain unaccounted for still lack official disappearance certificates, denying them access to bank assets and property management. Many live in limbo, while survivors often endure harassment through baseless legal actions and protracted court cases. Though the interim government took initial steps toward addressing justice through investigations by the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances and the International Crimes Tribunal, progress has sharply declined since the elected government took office in February 2026. Victims and their families are left grappling with significant psychological distress and confusion. We regard the lack of enactment of the 2025 Ordinances alongside the proposal of weaker legislation as grave setbacks that infringe upon victims' rights and directly contradict the BNP's commitments under the July National Charter 2025 to ensure justice for all victims of disappearances, killings, and torture. We reiterate that truth, justice, and reparations are critical for restoring the rule of law and preventing future occurrences of enforced disappearances. We urge the Government of Bangladesh to: 1. Implement comprehensive laws that criminalize enforced disappearance, engaging in meaningful public consultations, aligned with ICPPED and removing the death penalty as an option. 2. Guarantee access to justice and provide comprehensive reparations including full compensation, satisfaction, rehabilitation, psychosocial support for victims and their families, ensuring no recurrence of such violations. Involve victims and civil society in these reparative measures. 3. Legally recognize the status of missing persons and protect their families, allowing them access to bank accounts and property management, along with official documentation. 4. Dismiss all fabricated allegations against victims of enforced disappearance and free the wrongfully detained, including those convicted based on coerced confessions or under torture. 5. Undertake swift, impartial, and independent inquiries into all enforced disappearance cases, ensuring accountability while adhering to international fair trial standards, irrespective of political or institutional affiliations. 6. Ratify robust legislation to enhance the independence and authority of the NHRC, involving public consultations, allowing it to investigate allegations against state actors, including security forces. 7. Pursue transparent diplomatic discussions with India to ascertain the fates of any Bangladeshi nationals potentially transferred or detained across borders post-enforced disappearance.

Enforced Disappearances Bangladesh: Demand Justice & Prevention Now

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