Opposition walks out in protest against weakened bills on human rights and enforced disappearances

The Opposition walked out of Parliament prior to the passage of the National Human Rights Commission Bill and the Prevention and Redress of Enforced Disappearance Bill.

Alleging that both bills had been introduced in a weakened form, Leader of the Opposition Shafiqur Rahman announced the walkout moments before the legislative passage process began.

The two bills had previously been placed before Parliament on 27 August. On that day as well, the Opposition staged a walkout prior to their introduction, stating that they refused to be part of a fragmented process that sidelined the core demands for reform.

Subsequently, the Opposition also boycotted the parliamentary committee discussions regarding the bills. They asserted that the government had unilaterally repealed the two ordinances enacted during the interim government's tenure, disregarding the views of victims, stakeholders, and domestic and international human rights organisations.

At the time of repeal, the government had promised to enact stronger and more effective legislation; however, in reality, weaker and more narrowly scoped bills were brought forward, the Opposition added.

Today, Sunday, as per the order of business, Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad called upon Law Minister Md. Asaduzzaman to table the Human Rights Commission Bill for immediate consideration.

At this point, the Leader of the Opposition requested the floor. After being given the microphone, he stated that two bills were set to be presented shortly, both of which had been introduced earlier.

"We had previously clarified our position. When the treasury bench allowed those measures to lapse, it was promised that they would reintroduce them in a significantly stronger and improved form," Shafiqur Rahman said.

The Leader of the Opposition further noted that the bill concerning human rights displays a clear dual application of the law. While the Human Rights Commission can directly investigate violations committed by ordinary citizens, special provisions apply to law enforcement agencies.

Emphasising that the law cannot operate under a double standard, he added that members of the state security forces are state employees, but they are also citizens of this country.

It is unacceptable that for the exact same offense, one individual is subject to direct investigation while another benefits from procedural bottlenecks, Shafiqur Rahman stated.

The Leader of the Opposition concluded, "Since we had already decided that these laws were being rendered ineffective and reintroduced in a weakened form, we will not be party to their passage. On that basis, our stance is clear: we will not participate in the discussion on these bills, and we are now walking out. Honourable Speaker, thank you for giving me the floor."

Addressing the Leader of the Opposition, the Speaker then replied, "Thank you for walking out."

Following this exchange, the Opposition members of parliament exited the parliamentary chamber.