Human Rights Commission Bill: Opposition MPs skip parliamentary committee discussion

Opposition members of parliament (MPs) did not participate in discussions on the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Bill at the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs.

They have decided to refrain from participating at any stage of the bill’s passage. Their reasons have been set out in writing and submitted to the parliamentary committee.

After the bill was introduced in the Jatiya Sangsad (national parliament) on Thursday, it was referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs for scrutiny and submission of a report.

The committee met at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban on Sunday morning. The meeting was scheduled to discuss the Property Transfer Bill and the National Human Rights Commission Bill.

While the opposition MPs took part in the discussion on the Property Transfer Bill, they did not participate in the discussion on the NHRC bill. Instead, they left the meeting.

Nazibur Rahman, a member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs and a Jamaat-e-Islami MP, confirmed the matter to journalists.

The opposition has three MPs on the parliamentary standing committee: Nazibur Rahman, Al Faruk Abdul Latif and Akhtar Hossain. The three MPs have submitted a written statement to the committee setting out their position, a copy of which was also provided to journalists.

The written statement says the government repealed the National Human Rights Commission Ordinance 2025 unilaterally, disregarding the views of victims, stakeholders and national and international human rights organisations. At the time of the repeal, the government had pledged to enact stronger and more effective legislation. Instead, the statement says, a bill that is weaker and narrower in scope has been placed before Parliament.

It further states that the proposed bill is not consistent with the internationally recognised standards of the global alliance of national human rights institutions, the Paris Principles, or relevant international conventions and declarations. The committee was instructed to submit its report within just two working days, which, according to the opposition MPs, has effectively curtailed the opportunity for proper consultation with stakeholders and for the bill to be independently scrutinised and assessed.

This, they said, has created a situation in which the standing committee risks being reduced to a “rubber stamp”.

In their letter, the three MPs said that, for these reasons, the opposition members of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs had decided not to participate in any discussion or scrutiny of the bill and to refrain from taking part at any stage of the process for its passage.

They also decided not to attend meetings of the standing committee.