International monitors have called on the Bangladesh government to immediately legislate two key human rights ordinances before they expire.
The appeal, made by a coalition of global rights organisations, targets the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Ordinance 2025 and the Enforced Disappearance Prevention and Remedy Ordinance 2025.
Following the February elections, the administration led by BNP has been urged to solidify these reforms to prevent a return to past abuses.
Concerns have been raised regarding government plans to let the current ordinances lapse in favour of future parliamentary bills. Critics warn this move would dismantle the recently revitalised NHRC and its five new commissioners, who currently possess enhanced powers to combat impunity.
Should the ordinances—which include several 2025 and 2026 amendments – fail to pass, the country’s legal framework would revert to the NHRC Act 2009. This older law is widely regarded as ineffective and “toothless,” particularly in holding security forces accountable.
The 2025 ordinances significantly broaden the commission’s reach, granting it the authority to probe security force conduct and inspect detention facilities under the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture.
Additionally, the Enforced Disappearance Ordinance 2025 marks a legal milestone by establishing disappearance as a specific criminal offence in Bangladesh, offering a path to justice for affected families.
The urgency of these measures is highlighted by the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances (COIED), which has recorded 1,569 disappearance complaints. According to the commission, 287 individuals remain missing.
To meet the international standards of the Paris Principles, the groups stressed that the NHRC must operate independently of ministerial control.
They cautioned that requiring government authorisation for investigations or allowing state officials to control the commissioner selection process would compromise the body’s autonomy.
The coalition further recommended that any modifications to the laws should focus on alignment with international norms, specifically calling for the removal of the death penalty from the Enforced Disappearance Ordinance 2025.
The statement was supported by ARTICLE 19, CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, Fortify Rights, Human Rights Watch, and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH).
Other signatories include the Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center, Tech Global Institute, and the United Against Torture Consortium (UATC) – represented by the Association for the Prevention of Torture (APT), International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT), Omega Research Foundation, Redress, and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT).
