Expert Calls for Dual Reforms to End Enforced Disappearance

Law adviser Dr. Asif Nazrul has emphatically stated that preventing enforced disappearance, which he called a crime "worse than murder," requires not only legal reforms but also significant institutional reforms. Speaking at a workshop on the issue in Gulshan, Dhaka, Nazrul stressed that a courageous and justified role by judges is "essential" for trials, asserting that an "impartial and bold stand of the judiciary will uproot the culture" of enforced disappearance from Bangladesh.

The workshop, organized by the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances with support from the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, also featured Commission Chairman retired justice Moinul Islam Chowdhury.

He presented the keynote paper, highlighting that stamping out the practice requires collective cooperation among the judiciary, law enforcement agencies, and human rights organizations.

The event, which brought together ninety participants, including judges and trainees, also heard from other key figures such as retired High Court judge Md Farid Ahmed Shibli, Law and Justice Division Secretary Liaquet Ali Molla, and UN human rights adviser Huma Khan.