Opposition members of the parliamentary standing committee on the law ministry have announced a boycott of discussions on the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Bill, 2026.
Najibur Rahman, spokesperson for the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami parliamentary party, said they would not participate in any further discussion, review or stage of the bill’s passage and would no longer attend committee meetings.
Speaking to The Daily Star today, he said the opposition members had attended the committee meeting this morning but boycotted the discussion on the NHRC Bill.
“We will no longer take part in any kind of further discussion on the bill,” he said.
In a joint statement, three opposition members of the standing committee alleged that the government had unilaterally repealed the National Human Rights Commission Ordinance, 2025, ignoring the opinions of affected citizens, stakeholders, and domestic and international human rights organisations.
They said the government had promised a stronger and more effective law when repealing the ordinance, but had instead placed a weaker and more limited bill at the parliament.
They further argued that the proposed bill does not comply with international standards recognised by the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI), the Paris Principles, and relevant international conventions and declarations.
“In addition, the Standing Committee on Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs was instructed to submit its report within only two working days, effectively restricting proper consultation with stakeholders and independent review of the bill,” they said.
The opposition members claimed this had reduced the committee to a mere “rubber stamp”.
In light of these circumstances, they said they would not participate in any stage of the bill’s passage and would boycott future committee meetings.
The NHRC Bill was moved on Thursday.
Source: https://www.thedailystar.net/news/governance/parliament/news/opposition-lawmakers-boycott-nhrc-bill-discussion-4260111
