Bangladesh joins international convention for protection against enforced disappearances
Bangladesh has officially joined the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.
Interim government chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus signed the convention today (29 August) at the weekly meeting of the council of advisers, as confirmed by his office.
“It is a historic occasion,” said Prof Md Yunus.
The instrument was signed a day before the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances which is on 30 August.
The convention, which was adopted on 20 December 2006, in New York, had not previously been ratified by Bangladesh.
In a one-page statement issued by the chief adviser’s office, Professor Muhammad Yunus declared, “On behalf of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, I, Professor Muhammad Yunus, Chief Adviser, hereby declare that we are acceding to the above-mentioned convention and pledge to faithfully implement the terms and conditions therein. Signed in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on 29 August 2024, on this instrument of accession.”
For years, Bangladesh has faced allegations of enforced disappearances, with several families claiming their loved ones have been forcibly taken.
Organisations like ‘Mayer Daak’ (Mothers’ Call) have been actively advocating for the cause.
The Interim Government earlier this week formed a commission to investigate every case of enforced disappearances by security forces during Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year long authoritarian rule.
