Seminar calls for effective operationalisation of OPCAT in Bangladesh
The Embassy of Switzerland in Bangladesh, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the School of Law at BRAC University jointly organised a seminar on the "Operationalisation of the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT) in Bangladesh" today at the BRAC University auditorium.
As Bangladesh ratified the OPCAT earlier this year, the seminar brought together representatives from the government, the UN, civil society, NGOs, development partners and students to discuss practical steps for implementing the international human rights instrument.
In his welcome remarks, Professor K Shamsuddin Mahmood, dean of the School of Law at BRAC University, emphasised the importance of strengthening human rights protection and accountability mechanisms in Bangladesh.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
Dr Asif Nazrul, adviser to the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, attended as chief guest. He said the ratification of the OPCAT was not the end but the beginning of justice. He added that the National Human Rights Commission Ordinance 2025 has been gazetted and that the National Preventive Mechanism against torture would soon be constituted.
Congratulating Bangladesh on ratifying the OPCAT, Reto Renggli, ambassador of Switzerland to Bangladesh, said Switzerland joined the UN Human Rights Council this year while Bangladesh is concluding its three-year term. This overlap, he said, offers an opportunity to reaffirm commitment to human rights both in Geneva and in Bangladesh, ensuring that international standards translate into actionable and sustainable outcomes.
BRAC University Pro Vice Chancellor Professor Arshad Mahmud Chowdhury said the dignity of every individual must be protected in practice, not merely in principle.
Ben Buckland, senior adviser at the Geneva-based Association for the Prevention of Torture, delivered the keynote address, sharing regional experiences on National Preventive Mechanisms and their effectiveness in other countries.
A panel discussion later examined torture prevention in the Bangladesh context. Huma Khan, head of mission (acting) at OHCHR Bangladesh, said an independent, effective and accountable National Preventive Mechanism is crucial in the fight against torture.
Dr Saira Rahman Khan, professor at the School of Law at BRAC University and secretary of human rights NGO Odhikar, said national mechanisms are meaningless unless they are genuinely independent and able to work without fear of persecution. Without political will, she said, no preventive mechanism would succeed.
Md Abdul Wadud Akanda, director at the UN Wing of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reiterated Bangladesh's commitment to international human rights obligations.
Sazzad Hussain, member of the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearance, said victims of enforced disappearance often suffer various forms of torture. He stressed that operationalising the OPCAT must be done in full and implemented properly.
A video message from Victor Zaharia, a member of the UN Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture, was also screened at the seminar.
The panel discussion was moderated by Md Mostafa Hosain, assistant professor at the School of Law, BRAC University, followed by a Q&A session with the audience. Alberto Giovanetti, counsellor and head of political, economic and communication affairs at the Embassy of Switzerland, served as master of ceremonies.
