Debapriya slams NHRC as ‘toothless and spineless’
Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, Distinguished Fellow at the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) and convener of the Citizens’ Platform for SDGs, has branded the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) “toothless and spineless”, alleging that people “without backbones” are routinely appointed to lead it.
Speaking at a citizen dialogue in Gulshan, Dhaka, on Saturday (27 September), Dr Bhattacharya warned that the public did not want yet another weak rights body stripped of authority and effectiveness. The discussion, titled Draft Human Rights Commission Act 2025, was organised by the Citizens’ Platform.
“We have been gifted a toothless and spineless Human Rights Commission,” he said in his opening remarks. “It has no skills, no effectiveness. A good person without a backbone can never straighten his spine for anyone else. The commission should be led by people who are honest, ethical, and able to confront power with courage.”
Dr Bhattacharya recalled that the initiative to establish the NHRC was first taken under the 2007 caretaker government, with a draft law prepared by 2009. However, he said the subsequent Awami League government altered the draft “at will” and created a body that proved ineffective.
He criticised the appointment of “a spineless good man” as head of the commission, saying that personal integrity alone was not enough without courage and independence. The commission, he noted, was dissolved in November 2024 by the interim government but no credible alternative has yet been established.
Draft law under fire
Other speakers also raised concerns about the new draft law. Supreme Court lawyer Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua said it retains many flaws of the previous legislation.
“There is no clear provision on how long the commission should take to dispose of complaints. It is also unclear whether a person with dual citizenship can become a member. Funding mechanisms remain vague, and bureaucrats could still serve on the commission, creating a conflict of interest,” he said.
Sanjida Islam, coordinator of Mayer Daak, a platform of families of enforced disappearance victims, shared her frustration: “Whenever we went to the commission, all it did was send letters to the Home Ministry and consider its duty done. Beyond that, it took no action.”
Dr Bhattacharya echoed the point, saying the commission would report “100 percent task completion” every year while in reality it had merely dispatched letters to ministries.
A call for reform
Among those present at the dialogue were Transparency International Bangladesh Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman, Justice Mainul Islam Chowdhury, Supreme Court advocates Shahdeen Malik and Sara Hossain, women’s rights leader Shirin Parveen Haque, Chakma Circle head Rani Yan Yan, and international representatives.
Speakers agreed that the new draft ordinance must address the structural weaknesses that crippled the NHRC if Bangladesh is to have a credible, independent body capable of protecting human rights.