Human Rights Commission signals ‘exit’ as members question legal footing

A commissioner suggests their appointments may have lapsed automatically after the law underpinning them was scrapped

The chairman and four members of the National Human Rights Commission have signalled their “departure” through an open letter, raising questions over the body’s legal standing after the repeal of the law under which they were appointed.

One member said they believe their appointments may have effectively ceased after parliament annulled the ordinance that led to their recruitment just two months ago, though no formal communication has come from the government.

The letter, addressed to the public and the government and signed on Monday by Chairman Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury, a former Supreme Court judge and members Nur Khan, Shariful Islam, Ilira Dewan and Nabila Idris, does not explicitly mention resignation.

However, in its opening section, the signatories describe themselves as “outgoing human rights commissioners”.

Responding to queries, member Nur said: “Why would the question of resignation arise? We did not raise any issue of resignation in the open letter. We have explained the matters discussed in parliament.”

“We have not resigned, nor has the government asked us to do so. But since the law under which we were appointed has been repealed (through a bill passed in parliament), then we are, in effect, no longer there.

“This is still not entirely clear. We issued an open letter addressing both the people and the government.”

Following the fall of the Awami League government in August 2024, the previous commission members resigned en masse in November, amid debate over whether they had faced pressure.

After a long hiatus, the interim administration approved the National Human Rights Commission Ordinance-2025 on Oct 30, expanding the body’s jurisdiction and scope.

On Feb 5, a week before the parliamentary elections, the commission was reconstituted under that ordinance.

Among the appointees were Nur and Nabila, both previously linked to the widely discussed commission on enforced disappearances.

On Thursday, despite opposition objections, parliament passed a bill scrapping the ordinance and reinstating the 2009 law -- effectively nullifying the current appointments, according to the members, though the letter stops short of stating this outright.

What the Letter Says

• Rebuts “incorrect information” presented in parliament

• Identifies the government’s actual objections to the ordinance

• Proposes criteria to assess the quality of future laws

The letter concludes that the government’s stance reflects a “fundamental contradiction”, warning that reverting to the 2009 framework risks recreating a weak law that has failed to protect victims since its inception.