Human Rights Watch (HRW) says Bangladesh’s new laws weaken National Human Rights Commission independence, limit investigations into security forces, and effectively rename RAB as SRB, raising concerns over accountability, human rights safeguards, and the BNP government’s reform commitments.
Human Rights Watch (HRW), a US-based international advocacy organisation, has raised serious concerns over three laws passed by Bangladesh’s Parliament in September, saying the legislation weakens key human rights protections and undermines reform commitments made by the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government.
According to HRW, the new laws could reduce the independence and effectiveness of Bangladesh’s National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), while also limiting its ability to investigate alleged human rights violations involving security forces. The organisation said the legislative changes raise concerns about accountability and oversight at a time when the new government had pledged to pursue institutional reforms.
The rights body said that after winning the election, the government led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has introduced legal measures that weaken safeguards surrounding the country’s human rights institutions. HRW particularly highlighted changes affecting the NHRC and the restructuring of the paramilitary Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), which has faced allegations of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and torture.
One of the laws concerning the NHRC was passed by Parliament on September 6 following a walkout by opposition legislators, HRW said. Under the new legislation, the commission is no longer able to directly investigate alleged rights violations by security forces. Instead, it must initially request a report from the agency against which an allegation has been made.
HRW pointed to what it described as a vaguely worded provision that could potentially allow the NHRC to conduct its own inquiry if the concerned agency fails to respond or if the commission considers the response unsatisfactory. However, the rights organisation said the changes nevertheless represent a significant reduction in the commission’s investigative powers.
The legislation also reportedly restores greater government control over the appointment process for the NHRC. HRW said the law reduces the commission’s budgetary and administrative independence and downgrades the status and independence of the National Preventive Mechanism, which is intended to contribute to the prevention of torture and other forms of mistreatment.
HRW also criticised another major legislative change involving RAB. Bangladesh’s Parliament passed the Special Response Battalion Act on September 10, officially renaming the paramilitary force as the Special Response Battalion (SRB). The new force began operating on September 16.
According to HRW, however, the change amounts to more than a simple restructuring but does not provide the safeguards that would be expected of a genuinely new law enforcement institution. The legislation transfers the former RAB’s personnel, powers and property, including records, to the SRB.
The organisation also pointed out that the force’s logo remains essentially unchanged, with the letters “RAB” replaced by “SRB”. Based on these provisions, HRW argued that the legislation effectively renames the existing force rather than abolishing it and establishing an institution with substantially different accountability mechanisms.
RAB has previously faced international scrutiny and allegations relating to serious human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and torture. HRW said the latest legal changes fail to provide adequate safeguards against such abuses and could make it more difficult to ensure accountability for security-force misconduct.
Elaine Pearson, Asia Director at Human Rights Watch, expressed concern over the implications of the new laws. She said the government’s efforts to shield security forces from scrutiny and accountability provide little basis for confidence that killings and disappearances will not recur.
The rights organisation said the developments are particularly concerning because they appear inconsistent with the BNP government’s earlier reform pledges. HRW argued that weakening independent oversight bodies and maintaining the institutional structure of a security force previously accused of serious abuses could undermine efforts to strengthen human rights protections in Bangladesh.
HRW has urged Bangladesh’s international partners, including the European Union and the United Kingdom, to raise concerns over what it described as the emerging human rights record and policies of the new government.
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The organisation’s assessment places particular emphasis on the need for independent institutions, effective investigations and meaningful accountability for alleged violations. The debate over the new laws is therefore likely to remain closely linked to broader questions about Bangladesh’s institutional reforms, security-force oversight and protection of human rights.
