Enforced disappearance is among the most heinous crimes in the world: PM
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has said enforced disappearance is one of the most heinous crimes in the world and the gravest violation of human rights. The current government has launched investigations and legal proceedings into every case of enforced disappearance.
Today, 30 August, is the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances. The prime minister made the remarks in a message issued on Saturday on the occasion. The message was posted on his verified Facebook page. In his message, the prime minister expressed his deep sympathy and solidarity with all disappeared persons in Bangladesh and around the world, as well as their family members.
Enforced disappearance is among the most heinous crimes in the world. It is a global problem and the gravest violation of human rights, he said. Such inhumane incidents occur particularly under authoritarian regimes and in regions affected by political conflict. State security forces or law-enforcement agencies often resort to such ruthless and brutal measures against anti-government movements or political leaders who hold dissenting views.
The prime minister said, Bangladesh’s ousted, defeated and fugitive fascist government had resorted to the inhumane practice of enforced disappearance and abduction to suppress the democratic and political rights of the people. He said secret detention centres had been established to hold victims of enforced disappearance and abduction for months or even years. These secret detention facilities came to be known publicly as ‘Aynaghar’ during the fugitive fascist regime.
Citing figures from local and international human rights organisations, the prime minister said the ousted fascist government had used the country’s law-enforcement agencies to make at least several hundred people disappear at different times. He described this as deeply distressing and heartbreaking.
The current government has launched investigations and legal proceedings into every case of enforced disappearance, he said. At the same time, it is creating a separate legal framework to prevent enforced disappearance in the future.
The ‘Prevention and Redress of Enforced Disappearance Bill, 2026’ has already been tabled in parliament. The ‘National Human Rights Commission Bill, 2026’ has also been placed before parliament. The government hopes that once the bills are duly enacted into law, no one will resort to heinous crimes against humanity such as enforced disappearance or abduction in the future, added Tarique Rahman.
The prime minister said enforced disappearance or abduction is not merely a number or the loss of an individual; rather, it represents the death of a family’s dreams, aspirations and hopes. It brings a family’s future to a standstill. The relatives waiting for their disappeared loved ones live in a reality of uncertainty, where there is no closure and no normal opportunity to grieve.
Referring to the fall of the fascist forces following the 2024 uprising by students and the people after a long movement and struggle against fascism, the prime minister said some fortunate victims had returned. On the other hand, he said, countless people, including Ilias Ali and Chowdhury Alam, remain missing to this day.
The prime minister noted that Article 7(2) of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court defines enforced disappearance as a crime against humanity and places emphasis on exemplary punishment for such crimes.
He said the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances is observed around the world to keep the global conscience alert to enforced disappearance by states or governments. This year’s theme is “Victims First, Actions Now”. He called for global unity and solidarity to ensure accountability and justice for individuals and institutions involved in this inhumane crime.