DHAKA, Dec 19, 2025 (BSS) - In a significant move aimed at addressing long-standing allegations of enforced disappearances and strengthening accountability mechanisms, the government has established Enforced Disappearance Prevention and Redress Tribunals in all eight administrative divisions of the country.

The specialised tribunals have been formed to hear and try cases of enforced disappearances within their respective divisions, including metropolitan areas, marking Bangladesh introduce for the first time a dedicated judicial framework to deal exclusively with such allegations.

According to a gazette notification issued on December 17, the tribunals were established in exercise of the powers vested under Section 13 of the Enforced Disappearance Prevention and Redress Ordinance, 2025. The ordinance criminalises enforced disappearance and outlines procedures for investigation, prosecution, and redress for victims and their families.

The eight tribunals will operate as: Enforced Disappearance Prevention and Redress Tribunal, Dhaka; Chattogram; Sylhet; Mymensingh; Rajshahi; Rangpur; Khulna; and Barishal, ensuring nationwide jurisdictional coverage.

Under the ordinance, the tribunals will have the authority to officially declare a person as "disappeared" if the individual remains missing for at least five years and does not return alive. Such declarations are expected to play a crucial role in enabling families to pursue legal remedies, compensation, and other civil entitlements.

The government on December 18 approved the draft of the Enforced Disappearance Prevention and Redress (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025, further strengthening the legal framework. The amendment allows the government to appoint the required number of public prosecutors for the tribunals based on recommendations from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), a move aimed at ensuring independence and expertise in prosecution.

The ordinance also expands access to justice for victims and their families. Victims or complainants will be allowed to appoint lawyers to the tribunals on their own initiative, while the spouse or any dependent family member of a disappeared person will be able to use the property of the missing individual without prior approval from the commission.

Legal experts say the establishment of the tribunals represents a major institutional step towards addressing enforced disappearances, an issue that has drawn sustained domestic and international attention over the years. Observers, however, note that the effectiveness of the new system will ultimately depend on transparent investigations, impartial prosecutions, and timely disposal of cases.

With the formation of the tribunals and the amendment to the ordinance, the government has signalled its intention to institutionalise accountability and provide long-awaited legal redress to victims of enforced disappearance and their families.