Mir Ahmed Bin Quasem, an opposition lawmaker has accused the government of deliberately weakening safeguards against enforced disappearances, saying a new law signals to law enforcement agencies that they can act without fear of accountability.

Speaking in parliament on Wednesday, Mir Ahmed, popularly known as Barrister Arman said the legislation would push investigations into a maze of applications, referrals and bureaucratic procedures, leaving victims with little prospect of justice.

“They are knowingly sending this signal to law enforcement agencies: do whatever you want; we have left no avenue for holding you accountable,” he said.

Speaking as a victim of enforced disappearance, Arman argued that the changes were deliberate rather than drafting oversights.

“This is no mere gap in the law. It is a deliberate instruction to law enforcement agencies: you have nothing to worry about,” he said. “I believe this is mala fide—done in bad faith.”

He said an earlier law, introduced in 2025, had empowered an independent commission to enter any detention facility without prior notice. That authority, he argued, was an essential safeguard and reflected Bangladesh’s commitments under the UN convention on enforced disappearances.

“We must remember that this was not an optional luxury,” he said.

Arman said the law minister had promised stronger legislation when the commission was removed. Instead, he alleged, the replacement subjected investigations to procedures that would obstruct accountability.

“I can say without hesitation that most investigations into enforced disappearances will get lost in this bureaucracy and procedural confusion,” he said.

He rejected the suggestion that the consequences could have escaped the law minister, whom he described as an accomplished senior lawyer, or the home minister, whom he called an intelligent individual.

“I refuse to believe that either of them fails to understand what the outcome will be,” he said.

Arman alleged that the practical message to security personnel was to follow government instructions without worrying about punishment.

“Commit injustices, forcibly disappear people, torture them—there is no one to hold you accountable. We have written that arrangement into law,” he said, describing what he believed the legislation conveyed.

He said he had spoken at length because the home minister’s remarks risked misleading the public about the safeguards contained in the law.

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