Government has begun prosecuting every enforced disappearance: PM

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has said his government has launched investigations and legal proceedings into every reported case of enforced disappearance in the country, describing the practice as one of the gravest violations of human rights.

In a message marking the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, observed on August 30, the prime minister expressed sympathy for people who disappeared and their families.

“Enforced disappearance is among the most heinous crimes in the world and represents an extreme violation of human rights,” he said in the message posted on his verified Facebook page on Saturday (August 29).

Tarique Rahman said that the previous government used enforced disappearance and abduction to suppress political opposition and democratic rights, and that secret detention facilities, popularly known as “Aynaghor”, were used to hold victims for months or years.

He claimed that more than 700 people were subjected to enforced disappearance during the previous administration.

The prime minister said the government was also working on a separate legal framework to prevent enforced disappearances in the future. The Enforced Disappearance Prevention and Remedy Bill, 2026, and the National Human Rights Commission Bill, 2026, have already been placed before parliament, he said.

He described enforced disappearance as more than the loss of an individual, saying it leaves families trapped in prolonged uncertainty without the chance to properly grieve or move on.

Referring to the 2024 mass uprising, Tarique said some victims of enforced disappearance had returned after the fall of the previous government, while many others, including BNP leaders Ilias Ali and Chowdhury Alam, remain missing.

He also noted that Article 7(2) of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court recognises enforced disappearance as a crime against humanity.

The prime minister called for global solidarity and accountability against individuals and institutions responsible for enforced disappearances. The theme of this year’s International Day is “Victims First, Actions Now”, he said.