Under a newly approved ordinance, a tribunal will be empowered to formally declare a missing individual as “disappeared” or a victim of enforced disappearance if the person remains missing for at least five years and does not return alive.
The provision is part of the draft “Enforced Disappearance Prevention and Redress (Amendment) Ordinance 2025,” which received both in-principle and final approval from the Advisory Council at a meeting held on Thursday.
The meeting was chaired by Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus.
According to the draft ordinance, the government will be able to appoint the required number of public prosecutors to the Prevention and Remedy of Enforced Disappearance Tribunal based on recommendations from the Human Rights Commission.
Victims or complainants will also be allowed to appoint tribunal lawyers at their own initiative, the draft says.
In addition, the spouse of a disappeared person or any dependent family member will be permitted to use the disappeared person’s property without prior approval from the commission.
