Draft Enforced Disappearance Prevention Ordinance gets govt nod

The Council of Advisers in its meeting on Thursday approved the draft of the ‘Enforced Disappearance Prevention, Remedies and Protection Ordinance 2025’ with a proposed provision of death penalty as the maximum punishment for offenders.

The approval came in principle at a meeting of the Council held with Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus in the chair at his office.

The draft of the Ordinance has considered enforced disappearance as a crime with a definition and has made provisions for strict punishment including death penalty, CA’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam told reporters while briefing reporters at the Foreign Service Academy after the meeting.

Chief Adviser’s Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder and Senior Assistant Press Secretary Foyez Ahmmad also spoke at the briefing. 

Alam said the establishment or use of secret detention centers has been declared a punishable offense and the National Human Rights Commission has been given the power to receive and investigate complaints related to enforced disappearances.

He said the proposed ordinance also includes provisions for the formation of a special tribunal for the prevention, remedy and protection of enforced disappearances, the obligation to complete the trial within 120 days of the filing of the complaint, protection of the rights of victims, informants and witnesses, compensation of the victims and guarantee of legal assistance.

The Press Secretary said only in-principle approval was given at the meeting and this will be further discussed and will be brought for final approval.

In August last year, Bangladesh signed the instrument of accession to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, demonstrating its commitment to investigate each and every case of enforced disappearances.

The instrument was signed a day before the International Day for the Victims of Enforced Disappearances on August 30.

With this, Bangladesh became a party to all nine core human rights treaties, manifesting people's aspirations to uphold freedom and justice for everyone.

The International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance was adopted in New York on 20 December 2006.