livelihood faced challenges during the lockdowns, the living standard of people, especially the lower and lower-middle-income people also declined. During the series of lockdowns, a large number of people working in the private sector were victims of dismissal, lay-off, cutoff salaries, etc. This made them vulnerable since they could not afford to pay for the costs of food and, most importantly, accommodation. The lockdowns also put challenges to other aspects of the implementation of human rights. For example, access to justice became limited during this period. 05 The government took many initiatives to alleviate the sufferings of the mass people during the lockdowns including investment in medical sectors and relief activities. However, there were challenges as well. There were some reports of mismanagement and corruption in procurement activities. Bangladesh is endeavouring to return to its tract of development following its successful massive vaccination campaign. It is worth mentioning that Bangladesh stood 5th among 121 counties in the successful implementation of the COVID-19 vaccination programme. However, the ongoing geopolitical crisis is still hampering its potential to implement its goals of achieving SDGs. Access to Justice and Fair Trial 06. The Commission commends the steps the government has taken to strengthen the administration of justice in Bangladesh to lessen huge backlog of cases. However, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic adversely impacted the government’s efforts to reduce the backlog of pending cases in Bangladesh. During the pandemic, the government attempted to alleviate the situation by promulgating the Usage of Information and Communication Technology by Court Ordinance 2020 (later enacted as an Act of Parliament). The Ordinance of 2020 did not provide a digitalized system for the complete trial process, and many judges contracted coronavirus infection while discharging their duties. As a result, only bail petitions were heard before the virtual courts. During this period, the government extended the scope of the Legal Aid Services Act 2000 that applies to foreigners including the Rohingya. Besides, the Parliament amended the Evidence Act 1882 by making digital evidence admissible before the court and deleting the provisions relating to questioning the character of rape victims in cross-examinations.1 The Commission believes that the complete digitalisation of the administration of the justice system can help dispose of cases expeditiously. Additionally, the administration of justice should be strengthened by employing more judges, manpower, logistics, infrastructure etc. Extra-Judicial Killing & Enforced Disappearance 07. The Commission notes that there is a debate on the applicability of the term ‘enforced disappearance’ between law enforcement agencies and civil society in the context of the domestic legal system of Bangladesh. Individual complaints about extra-judicial killing and enforced disappearance received by the Commission are as follows: Types of Complaints Received Extra-Judicial Killing 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 09 15 03 01 00 ‘Evidence Act amendment bill placed in JS (New Age 31 August 2021), available at https://www.newagebd.net/article/179825/evidence-act-amendment-bill-placed-in-js>accessed 4 April 2023. 1 3