Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus has said that the institutional reforms implemented during the interim government have ensured that enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and unlawful violence will not return to the country.
Addressing the nation on Monday evening, hes recalled that the youth of the 2024 mass uprising had envisioned a new Bangladesh centered on institutional reform. “To realise that vision, the interim government enacted nearly 130 new laws and amendments and issued around 600 executive orders, of which about 84 percent have already been implemented,” he said.
“These reforms have strengthened civil rights, reinforced the judiciary, and ensured that the culture of disappearances, killings, and extrajudicial executions cannot resurface,” he added.
Highlighting improvements in law enforcement, Yunus said police officers no longer use firearms unlawfully, carry out illegal abductions, or kill under the guise of ‘gunfights.’ “The Police Commission Ordinance 2025 has been enacted to establish a people-friendly and accountable police force,” he noted.
Judicial reforms include the creation of a separate secretariat, a transparent process for appointing judges, and comprehensive changes in civil and criminal law. “We implemented the Mazdar Hossain case verdict to ensure judicial independence,” he added.
He also highlighted amendments to the International Crimes Tribunal Act, recognising enforced disappearances as crimes against humanity. Additional measures to ensure judicial transparency include live broadcasting of verdicts, appointment of foreign lawyers, and provisions for interim appeals.
“To ensure Bangladesh never becomes a state without human rights, the National Human Rights Commission Ordinance has been issued, and the commission has been established,” Dr. Yunus said.
MU/MHK