Enforced Disappearance 25 20 03 08 04 08. Notably, the number of complaints alleging extra-judicial killing and enforced disappearance has declined during the pandemic years i.e., 2020, 2021 and 2022. However, a portion of the total number of complaints is still pending before the Commission. In this connection, it is worth mentioning that as per the National Human Rights Commission Act 2009, the Commission is not empowered to investigate any allegations against law enforcement agencies. It has to look to the cooperation of the law enforcement agencies as they conduct such investigations themselves. The Commission believes that the law should be amended to empower the Commission to investigate all allegations of human rights violations, including those committed by law enforcement agencies. The government should put in place an independent and impartial mechanism to investigate and prosecute every allegation of extra-judicial killings, disappearances, and excessive use of force. Torture and/or Death in Custody 09. The Commission notes a downward trend of reported incidents of torture and/or death in custody. This is also, to some extent, reflected in the number of individual complaints about torture and/or death in custody received and addressed by the Commission. Types of Complaints Received 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 Torture in Custody 05 10 07 03 03 Death in Custody 07 12 06 05 03 10. In 2020, the first-ever conviction under the Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention) Act 2013 was upheld. Investigation and prosecution of the cases of custodial deaths and tortures should be strengthened. The government should establish an independent complaint mechanism to investigate all reported allegations of torture and ill-treatment and ensure that alleged perpetrators of those crimes are effectively prosecuted. The Commission directs to mandatorily follow the guidelines it developed for the law enforcement agencies during their anti-crime operations. Freedom of Expression 11. Despite the constitutional guarantee for the freedom of thought, conscience and the press, concerns have been voiced against the manner of implementation of the Digital Security Act 2018 (the successor to the Information and Communication Technology Act 2006) against journalists, writers, social media users, etc. Violence against journalists has been reported. Individual complaints about violence against journalists and restrictions on freedom of expression received by the Commission are as follows: 4