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DHAKA, Aug 29, 2026 (BSS)- The draft of the proposed “Enforced Disappearance Prevention and Redress Act, 2026," is now available on the website of the Ministry of Home Affairs for public opinion.

After getting public opinion the draft will be given final approval by the Jatiya Sangsad (JS).
 

This landmark legislation seeks to fulfill the state's commitment to human rights, individual liberty, and the rule of law which proposed enforced disappearance as a criminal offense and comprehensive punishment.

The draft defines the arrest, detention, or abduction of any individual by a government official or a member of the disciplined forces such as army, navy, air force, police, RAB, BGB, and intelligence agencies followed by a refusal to acknowledge the act or concealment of the victim’s fate as enforced disappearance.

The law explicitly states that enforced disappearance is a ‘continuous offense’, meaning it remains active until the victim's location, condition, or fate is officially confirmed. 

Furthermore, no situation, including state security, political instability, or a state of emergency, can be used as a justification for such crime.

Conviction for enforced disappearance carries a maximum life term imprisonment and a fine up to Taka 50 lakh.

In case of death of a disappeared person, or if the body is found or remain missing for more than five years, the responsible persons have to face the death penalty or life imprisonment, along with a fine up to Taka one crore.

The draft also proposed a minimum five years in prison for keeping a person confined in a secret detention center or intentional destruction or tampering the evidence related to the disappearance.

A major feature of the law is the introduction of command responsibility. Superiors or commanders of the disciplined forces will be held criminally liable if the disappearance is occurred in their consciousness or they ignored information about this or failed to take steps to prevent it or report it to the authorities. The accountability will also be extended to non-state superiors in relevant cases, the draft said.

The law allowed the victims or witnesses to file lawsuit with the police and in case of any refusal by police the victim can go directly to the court to lodge the complaint.

Investigations must generally be completed within 90 days. Trials of those cases will be held in the court of Sessions Judges and expected to be completed within 90 working days.

The law allows a spouse or children to apply to the court to use or transfer of the property of the missing person in their names to cover essential living expenses and debts. 

If a person is missing for five years, a "Disappearance Certificate" can be issued to settle inheritance matters.

The government will maintain a national database of the disappeared persons and establish a Compensation and Rehabilitation Fund for victims and their families.

The draft specifies that the cases involving widespread or systematic disappearances will be tried under the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act, 1973. 

Any misuse of the law will make a person responsible for up to five years imprisonment, the draft proposed.