Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus led Bangladesh’s interim government in signing the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance on Thursday.
Yunus, who holds the position of Chief Advisor of the Government of Bangladesh, shared the Instrument of Accession for the Convention on his X (formerly Twitter) account. He stated that by signing the Convention, the government was “demonstrating its commitment to investigate each and every case of enforced disappearances.”
Regional Director for South Asia at Amnesty International Smriti Singh welcomed the step taken by the Bangladesh interim government. She added:
Moving forward, the interim government must proactively work towards the full implementation of the Convention by ratifying it and enacting a strong domestic legislation that recognizes the continuous nature of the crime and considers incidents of enforced disappearances that have already occurred prior to its enactment. It must also allow for the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances to ‘receive and consider communications’ on behalf of victims, as per Article 31 of the UN Convention.
According to data shared by Bangladeshi rights organization Odhikar, there have been 709 enforced disappearances from 2009 to June 2024. The Rapid Action Battalion, which is an anti-crime and anti-terrorism unit of the Bangladesh police, is reported to be responsible for 206 of the 709 enforced disappearances. On the other hand, the Detective Branch of the Bangladesh Police is reported to be responsible for 240 of the total disappearances. Bangladesh police are reportedly responsible for 104 on their own.
The Convention is a UN treaty aimed at preventing enforced disappearances and ensuring justice and reparations for victims. It defines “enforced disappearance” as the arrest, detention or abduction by state agents or those acting with state support followed by a refusal to acknowledge the act. The Convention emphasizes that no exceptional circumstances can justify enforced disappearances and obliges states to investigate and prosecute such acts.
