Bangladesh Passes Three New Laws as Human Rights Safeguards Face Fresh Scrutiny

VoS NEWS DESK | LAW & HUMAN RIGHTS | 23 SEPTEMBER 2026

The legislation has attracted international attention because it changes how allegations of serious abuses by security agencies can be investigated. According to Human Rights Watch, the new laws were passed in September 2026 and modify reforms introduced by the interim government that governed Bangladesh from August 2024 until February 2026.

One of the major changes concerns Bangladesh’s National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). Under the new legislation, the commission cannot directly investigate alleged rights violations by security forces at the initial stage. Instead, it must first seek a report from the relevant agency. The commission can conduct its own inquiry if the agency does not respond or if its response is considered inadequate.

The legislation also changes the commission’s institutional arrangements. Human Rights Watch says the new framework gives the government greater influence over the appointment of commissioners and reduces some of the financial and administrative independence that had been provided under earlier reforms.

A separate Enforced Disappearance Prevention and Redress Act also passed on 6 September. Under the previous framework, the NHRC had powers to investigate allegations of enforced disappearance and inspect detention facilities, including locations suspected of being used for secret detention. The new legislation removes those powers from the commission and establishes a different investigation mechanism.

Another significant change concerns command responsibility. Human Rights Watch says the earlier provision could hold commanders responsible when they knew, or should have known, about violations and failed to prevent them. The new law requires evidence that a commander directly ordered an enforced disappearance before responsibility can be established under that provision.

The third major law concerns the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). Parliament approved legislation on 10 September replacing RAB with the Special Response Battalion (SRB), which began operating on 16 September. According to Bangladeshi reporting, personnel, powers, property and records have been transferred to the new force.

RAB has previously faced allegations involving extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and torture, and the United States imposed sanctions on the force in 2021 over alleged serious human rights abuses. Human Rights Watch argues that changing the force's name and structure without additional accountability mechanisms does not by itself resolve those concerns.

The organisation has called for stronger oversight of the new SRB, including human-rights vetting, independent monitoring and safeguards relating to arrest and detention. It has also urged Washington to maintain its existing sanctions until stronger accountability measures are established. These are Human Rights Watch's recommendations, rather than findings that the organisation's proposed measures have been adopted by Bangladesh.

The debate therefore centres on how Bangladesh balances security institutions with independent legal oversight. Supporters of the new framework may point to the creation of a formally renamed security body and new statutory arrangements, while rights organisations are focusing on whether investigative independence and accountability mechanisms are sufficiently protected. The practical effect will depend in part on how the laws are implemented and how detailed regulations for the new security force are developed.

VoS STRATEGIC INSIGHT

The September legislation represents an important development in Bangladesh's legal and institutional framework. The key issues to monitor are the independence of the NHRC, procedures for investigating enforced-disappearance allegations, standards for command responsibility, and the safeguards governing the newly established SRB.

Human Rights Watch has raised concerns that some earlier protections have been reduced, while Bangladeshi reporting confirms that the laws substantially alter the investigative and institutional arrangements. The longer-term legal impact will become clearer as the government implements the legislation and establishes detailed rules governing the new security force.

Source: Human Rights Watch; The Daily Star