Bangladesh proposes death penalty for enforced disappearances
The Bangladeshi government has proposed a bill to implement the death penalty for enforced disappearances following an inquiry into over 1,500 cases during Sheikh Hasina's tenure. The legislation aims to address state-backed violence and provide compensation to victims' families from the assets of convicted offenders.
Why it matters
This represents a significant shift in Bangladesh's legal approach to human rights and accountability following the 2024 political uprising.
Bangladesh's government has proposed the death penalty for enforced disappearances after an official inquiry recorded more than 1,500 cases during deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's 17-year rule.
Ms. Hasina, who was toppled in a 2024 uprising, was accused of using the security forces to crush dissent, with many of those detained coming from her political rivals in the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami, the country's largest Islamist party.
A commission set up after her overthrow recorded at least 1,569 cases of enforced disappearances during her tenure, with 251 victims still missing and presumed dead.
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, who leads the BNP, pledged during the February 2026 elections to end the state-backed violence that marked Ms. Hasina's rule.
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