Human Rights Commission and Enforced Disappearance Prevention Bills passed amid opposition objection

The National Parliament has passed three bills strengthening human rights protection, recognizing enforced disappearance as a distinct criminal offence and ensuring the donor’s lifelong right to possession after property transfer amid strong objection and walkout by the opposition.

The ‘National Human Rights Commission Bill, 2026’, ‘Enforced Disappearance Prevention and Remedy Bill, 2026’ and ‘Transfer of Property (Amendment) Bill, 2026’ were passed by voice vote on Sunday (September 6).

Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman introduced the National Human Rights Commission Bill and the Transfer of Property Amendment Bill in parliament. Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed introduced the Enforced Disappearance Prevention and Remedy Bill. After the three bills were placed in parliament on August 27, they were sent to the concerned parliamentary standing committees. The committees were directed to submit reports within two working days.

In the ‘Enforced Disappearance Prevention and Remedy Bill, 2026’, enforced disappearance has been identified as a cognizable, non-bailable and non-compoundable criminal offence. If any public official or member of the law enforcement agencies arrests, detains, abducts or otherwise deprives someone of liberty and then conceals their location or fate and deprives them of legal protection, it will be considered enforced disappearance.

The bill has kept the provision of maximum punishment of death penalty and a maximum fine of Tk 1 crore for the offence of enforced disappearance. This punishment may be applicable if the victim of enforced disappearance dies or remains missing for more than five years. In addition, provisions have been kept for search warrant for rescuing the missing person, trial in absentia, acceptance of digital evidence and protection of witnesses, complainants, whistleblowers and victims.

Along with ensuring the right of the victim and their family to know the truth in cases of enforced disappearance, arrangements for medical treatment, rehabilitation, legal assistance and compensation have also been kept. The assets of the convicted person will be used for realising compensation, and if that is not possible the state will bear the cost. There are also provisions for the family of the missing person to use their property for maintenance and for issuing a missing certificate after five years to facilitate inheritance-related activities.

On the other hand, through the National Human Rights Commission Bill, an initiative has been taken to create a new legal framework for the commission by repealing the 2009 law. However, the opposition had been objecting from the beginning to this bill as well as the enforced disappearance prevention and property transfer amendment bills. Regarding the property transfer bill, opposition leader Dr Shafiqur Rahman claimed that some of its provisions may conflict with the fundamental principles of the Quran and Sunnah. He demanded that the opinions of Sharia experts be taken before passing the bill.

The law minister, however, argued in favour of the property transfer amendment bill saying that no provision of conventional heba or Muslim law is being cancelled or limited by it. Rather, a new system has been added only to ensure the lifelong right to possession of parents over the property. After the three bills were passed amid opposition objection, the opposition walked out of parliament declaring that they would not take part in the discussion on the National Human Rights Commission Bill.