Bangladesh's Interim Govt. Given In-Principle Approval to Death Penalty for Enforced Disappearances

BD Advisory Council has given in-principle approval to the draft Enforced Disappearance Prevention, and Redress Ordinance 2025, which prescribes the death penalty as the maximum punishment for enforced disappearance and abduction.

The draft, prepared by the law ministry, received preliminary clearance on Thursday at the 40th meeting of the council, presided over by the Chief Advisor of Bangladesh, Muhammad Yunus.

Speaking at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka, Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said: “The ordinance on enforced disappearances was placed before the council [on Thursday] and has received policy approval. It will undergo further discussion before final approval.”

According to him, Bangladesh became a signatory to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance on Aug 29 last year at the United Nations General Assembly. The draft ordinance has been prepared in alignment with that convention, and with the aim of enforcing the constitutional rights to life and personal liberty.

He added that the draft was revised based on feedback from the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances, legal rights organisation BLAST, Human Rights Watch and other rights bodies.

The law ministry hosted two consultation meetings to gather recommendations for the draft.

The ordinance defines enforced disappearance as a criminal act and includes death penalty provisions. The establishment and use of secret detention centres are also criminalised under the draft law.

It further empowers the National Human Rights Commission to receive and investigate complaints related to disappearances.

The draft calls for the creation of a special tribunal to try disappearance-related offences, requiring trials to be completed within 120 days of indictment. It also sets provisions for the protection of victims, whistle-blowers, and witnesses, as well as compensation for victims.

Additional measures include the creation of a dedicated fund and a national database related to disappearances.

During the same meeting, the council also approved a proposal from the Ministry of Shipping to shut down three land ports and suspend operations at another.

The closed ports are Chilahati, Daulatganj, and Tegamukh. Operational activities at Balla Land Port have been temporarily suspended.

“These ports were developed largely for the personal interests of different political figures,” Shafiqul said.

“In many cases, there is no corresponding port on the Indian side. Some were not even functioning for import-export purposes. That’s why they have been shut down,” he added.