Human Rights Commission ‘Automatically’ Vacated, Open Letter to Outgoing Commissioners
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The members of the National Human Rights Commission have resigned due to the cancellation of the ordinance issued during the interim government. After resigning they also wrote an open letter.
Noor Khan, a member of the outgoing commission, however, said that they were not told about their resignation by the government. Placed in a kind of haze. He told Prothom Alo that since they got the job after the previous ordinance, now that it is not upheld, they thought it appropriate to resign.
Meanwhile, Human Rights Commission Secretary Kudrat-e-Ilahi also said that since the ordinance was repealed, the previous commission automatically no longer exists. However, he said that he did not read the ‘open letter’ of the commission members.
Last Thursday (April 9), the National Human Rights Commission (Abolition and Re-introduction) Bill was passed by a voice vote in the National Parliament. The bill states that the bill will come into effect immediately. In this case, subject to the approval of the President, it will come into effect with the publication of the Gazette.
Rejecting the opposition party’s objection, the parliament passed a bill to repeal the ordinance and re-introduce the ‘National Human Rights Commission Act’ passed in 2009 during the Awami League government.
The chairman and members of the National Human Rights Commission were appointed at the very end of the interim government’s tenure on February 5 this year. Former High Court judge Moinul Islam Chowdhury was appointed as the chairperson of the commission. The President made the appointment on the basis of the selection committee’s recommendation. A member of the Missing Commission during the interim government was appointed as a member of the commission. Noor Khan, Nabila Idris, Dhaka University political science department teacher. Shariful Islam and human rights activist Ilira Dewan.
After the fall of the Awami League government in the student coup on August 5, 2024, the commission formed during that government lasted until November. On November 7, some officials of an intelligence agency of the government went to the office of the commission in Karwan Bazar. They stay there all day. In the evening, the then chairman Kamal Uddin Ahmed resigned, full-time member Md. Salim Reza and four other members Biswajit Chand, Professor Tania Haque, Aminul Islam and Kangjuri Chowdhury. Another member Kawsar Ahmed resigned earlier. Several officials of the commission then told Prothom Alo that these members were “forced” to resign.
After that, the then government stopped the appointment of Human Rights Commission for a long time. Then the National Human Rights Commission Ordinance, 2025 was issued. It was finally approved by the Advisory Council on October 30 of that year. In light of that ordinance, the newly retired members were appointed on February 5 this year.
The open letter given by the members of the National Human Rights Commission by resigning due to the cancellation of the ordinance issued during the interim government is available on social media.
The letter titled ‘Open letter to the Commissioners of the recently departed National Human Rights Commission’ contains three sub-headings: ‘Response to misinformation presented in Parliament’, ‘Government’s real objections to the Ordinances’ and ‘Proposals for judging the quality of future legislation’ – their position and various views on the repeal of the Ordinance.
As the relevant ordinances have not been passed by the Parliament, the victims have been asking us again and again, “What will happen to us now?” the letter begins. This open letter is out of responsibility towards them.
We are five recently retired human rights commissioners. In our respective fields our careers have been devoted to the protection of human rights. Because of this long experience, we are familiar with the pain of victims, the daily challenges of law enforcement and the complexities of the legal system. Therefore, not for any institutional or personal interest, but out of a sense of duty to the victims, we have taken up the pen today.
Source: Prothom Alo Bangla
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