Parliament bill seeks death penalty for disappearances, criminalises secret detention centres

A bill proposing the death penalty for enforced disappearances that end in death or leave victims untraced for five years has been tabled in parliament.

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed tabled the “Prevention and Remedies of Disappearances Bill, 2026” on Thursday, setting out a range of penalties for the offences, including life imprisonment or a minimum five-year jail term and fines of up to Tk 10 million.

The bill was sent to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the home ministry for scrutiny, with instructions to submit its report within two working days.

For other cases of disappearance, the proposed law provides for imprisonment ranging from three years to life, with a maximum fine of Tk 5 million.

The bill would hold not only those directly involved but also superior officers who order, authorise, consent, to or incite a disappearance liable for the offence.

Commanders who fail to prevent the disappearance of subordinates would face the same responsibility.

Political instability, national security concerns, emergencies or claims of acting on superior orders would not constitute grounds for avoiding liability.

Five-year Jail For Destroying Evidence

Anyone who knowingly destroys, conceals, alters or falsifies evidence linked to a disappearance could face at least five years in prison and a fine of up to Tk 2 million.

Those who attempt, order, facilitate, assist, encourage or conspire to commit a disappearance, operate a secret detention centre or destroy evidence would face the same punishment as the principal offender.