Justice system must earn faith of everyone, even rickshaw pullers: Disappearances commission chief

Inquiry Commission on Enforced Disappearances Chairman and retired High Court Justice Moinul Islam Chowdhury has called for building a justice system so trustworthy that every citizen -- from a rickshaw-puller in Sylhet to a garment worker in Khulna, or a street vendor in Dhaka -- can confidently attest to their belief in the courts.

"The guarantee of justice ultimately depends on the personality, competence, capability, impartiality, and courage of judges," he said at a workshop in the capital today (29 November).

The day-long workshop, titled "Ensuring Justice: The Role of the Judiciary in Addressing Enforced Disappearances", was organised by the commission with support from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

The commission chief added, "Judges must handle every case with equal diligence, rigour, and sincerity. The republic must be a democracy where all fundamental rights and freedoms are protected."

At the workshop, the outgoing head of OHCHR in Bangladesh, Huma Khan, said, "Judicial impartiality, professionalism, and accountability are essential to ensuring justice."

She also noted that most of the victim families she has spoken to are suffering from social pressure and emotional distress. "Fear and intimidation in pursuing cases, complexities in investigations, and pressure from influential quarters have created major obstacles to justice," Huma Khan claimed.

Commission member Justice Md Farid Ahmed Shibli said institutional reforms are urgently needed to ensure effective investigation and trial of enforced disappearance cases.

"The commission has already reviewed existing legal frameworks and is preparing proposals for amendments aimed at speeding up case disposal, ensuring witness protection, and providing legal support to victims' families," he added.

Law and Justice Division Secretary Md Liaquat Ali Mollah, commission members Md Nur Khan, Md Sajjad Hossain, and Dr Nabila Idris also spoke at the event.

During discussions, participants proposed several measures, including stronger legislation to prevent disappearances, establishing an independent investigative agency under the judiciary, creating a monitoring cell to resolve case complexities, raising public awareness, specialised training for judges, psychological and legal support for victims, financial compensation and rehabilitation, necessary amendments to anti-terrorism and explosives laws, simplifying online GD filing, prioritising disposal of identified cases, empowering magistrates to address false cases, and enhancing information-sharing structures between the judiciary and the commission.

About 90 judicial officers from various courts and tribunals across the country took part at the workshop. This was the final session of the four workshops organised by the commission.