NHRC ordinance must pass without delay

We ardently support the recent call from civil society to pass the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Ordinance, 2025 in its current form. The ordinance, along with 132 others issued by the interim government, is due to be placed before the 13th parliament at its very first session tomorrow. The ordinance needs immediate approval so that the recently reconstituted commission can get legal validity.

Per constitutional requirement, ordinances issued during the interim period have a 30-day window for approval once they are placed before parliament. If the NHRC ordinance is subjected to further review now, the process will risk the loss of the developments made under the new law. The country was without its primary national rights watchdog for 15 months after the previous commission resigned in the aftermath of the Awami League government’s ouster. Despite repeated calls for urgent action, it took the interim government more than 10 months to issue the new ordinance, and the new NHRC was appointed per this law in February this year, just before the election. In a country where human rights are regularly infringed in varying degrees, we cannot afford to have another spell of a non-functional NHRC.

The new ordinance, designed to replace the NHRC Act, 2009, aims to empower the state body with a broader mandate, plugging loopholes that prevented the commission from becoming a proper defender of human rights. Under this law, the NHRC will have full financial autonomy and independence. It also aims to align the commission’s mandate with international human rights instruments ratified by Bangladesh, as well as those recognised by customary international human rights law consistent with the country’s laws. These are essential factors for a strong, effective commission that will protect and uphold people’s fundamental rights.

The past human rights commissions were often ineffective in addressing the gross violations of human rights in the country: suppression of free speech and dissent, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary and prolonged detention, custodial torture, and attacks on minority communities. Political and bureaucratic influence weakened the state body. If the government is to realise its electoral pledge to restore democracy and justice for all, ensuring a strong, fully functional NHRC is a crucial first step. For that, approving the current NHRC ordinance in the parliament and its proper implementation are essential.