Bangladesh to lift reservation on UN anti-torture convention, clears path for victim compensation

Highlights:

• Article 14(1) obliges states to provide compensation to victims of torture
• Government to be held accountable for state-sponsored abuses
• Dependents of the victims will also be eligible for compensation
• 195 countries to date have ratified the convention
• Experts say the ratification will boost law enforcement accountability

The Bangladesh Advisory Council has approved a proposal to withdraw the country's long-standing reservation on Article 14(1) of the United Nations Convention Against Torture (CAT), a move hailed as a major step toward protecting victims of state-sponsored torture, enforced disappearances, and inhuman treatment.

The decision, taken at the council's weekly meeting today (29 January), was announced by Shafiqul Alam, press secretary to the Chief Adviser, during a briefing at the Foreign Service Academy. Experts say the step represents one of Bangladesh's most significant policy advances in human rights protection.

Shafiqul Alam explained that the UN Convention Against Torture, adopted in 1984, has been ratified by 195 countries to date. Although Bangladesh acceded to the convention in 1998, it had maintained a reservation on paragraph 1 of Article 14, which obligates states to provide effective remedies and rehabilitation for victims of torture and holds governments accountable for abuses committed by state authorities.

"Alongside Bangladesh, countries such as the Bahamas, Fiji, New Zealand, Samoa, and the United States had also issued reservations on this article at one point," the secretary said. "With this latest decision, Bangladesh has withdrawn from that position."

He added that the withdrawal now enables victims of state or state-supported abuse to seek compensation with stronger international legal protection. At the same time, the state's responsibility to ensure the rehabilitation of victims is now more clearly established.

Under the new framework, even the dependents of a victim who dies as a result of torture are entitled to compensation – a provision that was previously unclear. Human rights analysts say the move will enhance accountability and transparency among law enforcement and other state institutions, while aligning Bangladesh's obligations in torture prevention more closely with international standards.

Government sources added that the decision will strengthen Bangladesh's global standing on human rights issues and positively showcase the country to the international community. Human rights organisations and activists in Bangladesh have campaigned for nearly two decades for the withdrawal of this reservation.