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By strong scaffolding, she referred to the constitution, which bans torture, the ratification of the Convention Against Torture (CAT), and the 2013 law criminalising torture.

But what is “missing” is an NHRC that can be classified as an “A status” under the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions. Bangladesh’s NHRC is currently “B status”, which means that its independence and autonomy are hindered.

Dr Edwards said the prevention of torture involves ensuring proper safeguards in police custody.

“Someone must know you are there; you must have access to a lawyer, medical examinations, and audio-video recordings. You must be brought before a judge speedily,” she continued.

“Judges are not exempt; they have obligations not to ignore torture or send people to overcrowded prisons known for violence. We need magistrates and judges to be part of this conversation,” added Dr Edwards.

She stressed the need to have independent bodies to investigate instances of custodial torture.

“Investigations have to be prompt and impartial. This means they must be at ‘arm’s length’ from the perpetrators. Torture is a unique crime. In ordinary crimes, the state acts as the protector of the victim. In cases of torture, the state is the perpetrator. This is why we need independent bodies for investigation. To put it simply, the police should not be investigating the police,” said Dr Edwards.

“There is an intimate relationship between corruption -- both political and financial -- and the abuse of power. I often say that torture is at the extreme end of the abuse of power,” said Dr Edwards.

She called the present a “moment of great opportunity” that will “allow for democratic renewal, institutional reform, and the building of a human rights culture embedded everywhere -- from the workplace and the home to the streets and your institutions.”

“This period also comes with very high expectations. From my engagement with civil society and survivors, I see these expectations growing daily. It is a moment for the government and other actors to grasp this opportunity and maintain momentum,” said Dr Edwards.

Mir Ahmad Bin Quasem, lawmaker for Dhaka-14, stated that the 2025 ordinance on the NHRC granted the watchdog the power to be a “national preventive mechanism”, meaning that they can visit any detention centre for inspection.

He underscored that this must be brought back.

Sanjida Islam Tulee who leads Mayer Daak lamented that even after crucial evidence was obtained about commanding officers from among the security forces, they ended up leaving the country, which makes her lose hope in the current justice system.

Nid Satjipanon, the Asia-Pacific Representative for the Association for the Prevention of Torture, said in Bangladesh, good laws exist, but they don’t create a preventive effect.

“One of the drivers of why torture happens is when we have a system where we believe that we need a confession to get a case moving,” he said.

Other speakers too criticised the overreliance on the confessional statements obtained under Section 164.

Lawmaker Dr Mahbubul Alam, who represents Kurigram-3, said, “We have to find out why police are engaging in custodial torture. Can they operate independently, or are they given instructions to obtain evidence however they can?”

He suggested that confessions taken under Section 164 must have audio and video recordings.

Advocate Badiuzzaman Tapadar, deputy attorney general, said custodial tortures extend into judicial torture. “For example, the practice of showing a person arrested in a case minutes after they had obtained bail is an obvious example of judicial torture.”

Prof Muhammad Mahbubur Rahman of the Department of Law at Dhaka University said most people are not aware of their basic rights.

“For example, it is illegal for the police’s Detective Branch or the Rab to keep any detainees in their custody. There are only two locations a detainee can be kept -- the police station for 24 hours, following which they have to be sent to jail. This is routinely violated,” said Dr Rahman.

Supreme Court lawyer Barrister Sara Hossain and former chief of the women’s affair’s reform commission Shireen Huq were also panel speakers.