New Parliament Session to Address Disputed Human Rights Bills
The third session of the 13th Jatiya Sangsad will begin tomorrow, Thursday, at 3:00 PM. This parliamentary session is expected to be short. However, lawmakers are preparing for important discussions. Two new draft laws will be introduced.
These are the draft Prevention and Remedy of Enforced Disappearance Act and the draft National Human Rights Commission Act. Both proposed laws have already caused public concern. Many people expect strong debate in Parliament about them.
Sources say the session may last 10 to 11 working days. During this time, lawmakers will also discuss other key national issues. These include ongoing shortages of electricity and gas. The fertilizer crisis is another important topic for discussion.
The new draft laws come from ordinances issued by the previous interim government. Some older ordinances were not approved within the set time. The government later promised to review these issues. They said new bills would be created based on this review.
The Cabinet approved the draft Enforced Disappearance Act on August 3. The draft Human Rights Commission Act was approved on August 10. Since then, human rights groups and political parties have expressed their worries. They believe some parts of the drafts are problematic.
Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) released a statement on August 12. TIB said the bills contain some positive provisions. However, it added that they keep parts that could harm the Human Rights Commission’s independent work. TIB also stated that the Enforced Disappearance Act places all investigations solely with the police. This removes the Human Rights Commission from sensitive cases.
The National Citizen Party (NCP) also shared its concerns. NCP believes the draft Enforced Disappearance Act will allow wrongdoers to go unpunished and deny wrongdoing. NCP members said the draft law reduces the Human Rights Commission’s power to conduct independent investigations.
They also warned that giving investigations to law enforcement agencies might prevent fair inquiries. This is especially true for accusations against government officials. These two controversial bills could be passed quickly during this session.
The standard process for a bill includes several steps. First, the relevant minister introduces it in Parliament. Then, it goes to a parliamentary committee for review. After the committee’s report, lawmakers can propose changes and debate the bill.
Apart from making laws, this session will also form new parliamentary standing committees. There are 50 such committees in total. So far, only 15 have been formed in the current Parliament. The remaining 35 committees are expected to be created now.
Two committees need new chairmen. Abdul Moyeen Khan and Andaleeve Rahman Partho were chairmen. But they became ministers. So, their committees for the Planning Ministry and Law Ministry must be reorganized.
