Three new laws weaken Bangladesh’s human rights safeguards: HRW

Three laws passed by Bangladesh’s parliament in September have weakened existing human rights safeguards and rolled back reforms introduced by the interim government, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a statement.

The New York-based rights group said the laws have reduced the independence and investigative powers of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), weakened safeguards for investigating enforced disappearance allegations and effectively replaced the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) with a new force, the Special Response Battalion (SRB), without adequate new oversight mechanisms.

HRW said the interim government’s 2025 ordinances had strengthened the NHRC by allowing it to investigate allegations against security agencies, inspect detention facilities and operate with greater independence in the appointment of commissioners, staffing and funding.

The new NHRC law, however, does not allow the commission to directly investigate alleged rights violations by security forces and instead requires it to seek reports from the agencies concerned.

The rights group also criticised the Enforced Disappearance Prevention and Redress Act, saying it removes the NHRC’s authority to investigate disappearance allegations and inspect detention facilities, including suspected secret detention sites.

It also changes the standard for command responsibility, requiring evidence that a commander directly ordered an enforced disappearance.

On September 10, parliament passed the Special Response Battalion Act, replacing RAB with the SRB. The new force began operating on September 16, with RAB personnel, powers, property and records transferred to it.

HRW said the legislation does not provide adequate safeguards, independent oversight or accountability mechanisms for the new force.

“Bangladesh needs real security sector reform and an independent human rights body with the authority to investigate allegations of abuse,” HRW Asia Director Elaine Pearson said.

HRW urged Bangladesh’s international partners to press for stronger human rights safeguards, independent oversight and accountability under the SRB.

It also called on the United States to maintain sanctions on the renamed force until adequate accountability measures are in place.

The government has defended the creation of the SRB, with Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed saying the new force was established after RAB was abolished.

The government has also said the new structure is intended to improve professionalism, transparency and accountability while retaining experienced personnel and existing resources.