The Daily Star: Bangladesh: Saturday, 26 July 2025.
We share Transparency
International Bangladesh's (TIB) concern over the interim government's failure
to set up the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the Information
Commission since assuming office on August 8, 2024. This inertia surrounding the
operationalisation of two crucial statutory bodies is alarming, especially as
the country has witnessed repeated crimes and human rights abuses in recent
months. Following the ousting of the Awami League regime, many politically
appointed officials in the administration and statutory or autonomous bodies
either resigned or were removed. On September 10, the then chief information
commissioner along with another commissioner were suspended. Later, on November
7, the then NHRC chairman and all five members resigned. Since then, the
government has taken no visible steps to reconstitute these commissions.
The importance of the functions of these bodies cannot be overstated. Many rights defenders, including this newspaper, have called for the revival and proper empowerment of these organisations, which are governed by a statutory process where the president appoints commissioners based on recommendations from a selection committee. The legal procedure exists, so why has the government failed to act for more than six months? This is particularly baffling given that many advisers in the interim cabinet previously led rights institutions themselves. One would have expected them to prioritise the restoration and strengthening of the NHRC and the Information Commission, not delay it.
To its credit, the government recently signed an MoU with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), paving the way for a UN rights mission in Bangladesh for three years. However, this international initiative with its broad-based mandate cannot replace a national rights body embedded within the country's legal and institutional framework. A properly reconstituted NHRC, with adequate independence and resources, could play a critical role in investigating rights violations such as use of excessive force by security forces, mob violence, or any discrimination faced by marginalised groups and providing remedies to victims. It could also advise the government on rights-related reforms.
Likewise, a properly empowered Information Commission is essential to ensuring citizens' right to information, particularly in an era of heightened public demand for transparency around critical developments, controversial decisions, etc. The formation of these two commissions is thus essential to rebuilding public trust and democratic oversight, especially ahead of the upcoming elections. We urge the government to immediately form the selection committees, appoint commissioners, and amend relevant laws or rules to ensure these bodies are not only restored but also empowered to act.
The importance of the functions of these bodies cannot be overstated. Many rights defenders, including this newspaper, have called for the revival and proper empowerment of these organisations, which are governed by a statutory process where the president appoints commissioners based on recommendations from a selection committee. The legal procedure exists, so why has the government failed to act for more than six months? This is particularly baffling given that many advisers in the interim cabinet previously led rights institutions themselves. One would have expected them to prioritise the restoration and strengthening of the NHRC and the Information Commission, not delay it.
To its credit, the government recently signed an MoU with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), paving the way for a UN rights mission in Bangladesh for three years. However, this international initiative with its broad-based mandate cannot replace a national rights body embedded within the country's legal and institutional framework. A properly reconstituted NHRC, with adequate independence and resources, could play a critical role in investigating rights violations such as use of excessive force by security forces, mob violence, or any discrimination faced by marginalised groups and providing remedies to victims. It could also advise the government on rights-related reforms.
Likewise, a properly empowered Information Commission is essential to ensuring citizens' right to information, particularly in an era of heightened public demand for transparency around critical developments, controversial decisions, etc. The formation of these two commissions is thus essential to rebuilding public trust and democratic oversight, especially ahead of the upcoming elections. We urge the government to immediately form the selection committees, appoint commissioners, and amend relevant laws or rules to ensure these bodies are not only restored but also empowered to act.
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