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Rights Commission Faces Uncertainty After Law Repeal
The chairman and four members of the National Human Rights Commission have signalled uncertainty over their positions following the repeal of the law under which they were appointed, raising questions about the body’s current legal standing.
In an open letter issued on Monday, Chairman Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury, a former Supreme Court judge, along with members Nur Khan, Shariful Islam, Ilira Dewan and Nabila Idris, referred to themselves as “outgoing commissioners”, though they stopped short of formally announcing resignation.
One of the members said their appointments may have effectively ceased after parliament annulled the ordinance that led to their recruitment, even though no official directive has been issued by the government.
“We have not resigned, nor have we been asked to step down. But since the law under which we were appointed has been repealed, our status is no longer clear,” the member said, adding that the open letter was intended to clarify the situation for both the public and the authorities.
he development comes after parliament passed a bill scrapping the National Human Rights Commission Ordinance-2025 and reinstating the earlier 2009 law, effectively nullifying the current structure of the commission.
The commission had been reconstituted in February under the now-repealed ordinance, following the resignation of previous members in November after the political transition in August 2024.
In the letter, the commissioners also addressed what they described as inaccuracies raised during parliamentary discussions and outlined concerns over the government’s position on the ordinance.
They warned that reverting to the previous legal framework could weaken the commission’s effectiveness, arguing that the earlier law had long failed to ensure adequate protection for victims.
The letter further proposed criteria for evaluating future legislation, urging the government to adopt stronger legal safeguards to uphold human rights protections in the country.