Investigations into alleged human rights violations by law enforcement personnel cannot be impartial if the responsibility is given to the same agencies accused of the abuses, human rights activists, lawyers and civil society representatives said on Wednesday.
They made the remarks at a roundtable titled “National Human Rights Commission Act and Enforced Disappearance Prevention Act 2026 (Draft): Promises vs Reality” at the BDBL Building in Dhaka.
The discussion was organised jointly by Voice for Reform and Citizen Coalition, platforms working on reforms and human rights.
Former member of the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances Nabila Idris presented the keynote paper, while Voice for Reform co-coordinator Fahim Mashrur moderated the event.
Nabila said the proposed National Human Rights Commission Act 2026, Enforced Disappearance Prevention and Redress Act 2026 and the new law concerning the Rapid Action Battalion contain a common provision.
Under the three laws, investigations into alleged rights violations by law enforcement personnel would remain with law enforcement agencies, she said.
Such an arrangement would fail to adequately protect either victims or accused members of the forces, she added.
“Power is never permanent. Those associated with the current government could themselves become the biggest victims of these laws in the future,” Nabila said.
Former International Crimes Tribunal chief prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam questioned how justice could be ensured if a security agency investigated allegations of enforced disappearance against its own members.
“If the accused are the investigators, how can justice be ensured?” he asked.
He also raised concerns about a provision that could expose victims’ families to imprisonment if their allegations were found to be false.
Such a provision could discourage families already traumatised by alleged disappearances from coming forward, he said.
Human rights activist Nur Khan Liton said such legislation would not be necessary if the government had no intention of violating human rights.
He also questioned the proposed process for selecting the National Human Rights Commission’s chair and members, saying eight of the nine members of the search committee were from the government side.
This could raise concerns about the commission becoming politically influenced, he said.
Anik Sen of NPA described the two proposed laws as a betrayal of the sacrifices made during the July uprising.
He said there would be little justification for establishing another commission with taxpayers’ money if the controversial provisions were not revised.
Human rights activist and photographer Shahidul Alam said security forces operate with taxpayers’ money and should primarily be responsible for protecting citizens, rather than serving the interests of any government or political party.
He also called for a professional working environment for law enforcement personnel.
MP Barrister Arman said the proposed laws reflected the influence of what he described as the “deep state”.
He said his party, along with other opposition parties, would seek to remove the controversial provisions from the draft laws when they are discussed in parliament.
Others who spoke included enforced disappearance survivor Fahad Chowdhury Dipu, AB Party President Mujibur Rahman Manju, Daily Waadaa Managing Editor Faisal Mahmud, Alternatives organiser Tajnuba Jabin, State Reform’s Hasib Hossain and former Police Reform Commission member Zarif Rahman, among other civil society representatives.
