Drawing on years of work with families of the disappeared, this piece asks who can credibly investigate enforced disappearance in Bangladesh when the very institutions accused of carrying it out are the ones tasked with examining the allegations.

There are moments in a parliamentary career that one anticipates: the first speech, the first bill, the first vote. And then there are moments no one prepares you for.

Govt must review and fix loopholes in NHRC and enforced disappearance bills

In Bangladesh, August 30 has become a test of whether the state has learned anything from the evidence on enforced disappearance now before it.

A law meant to rebuild Bangladesh’s National Human Rights Commission should widen access to accountability, not make it depend on how quickly a victim reaches the commission. Human rights, accountability, access to justice, Bangladesh

In 1829, blue uniforms were chosen for the first British metropolitan police, established by Sir Robert Peel, to distinguish them from the British military, whose uniforms were red.

After years of widespread human rights abuses under the Awami League government, the July uprising in 2024 created hopes for a new beginning.

They also hurt diplomatic relations between Bangladesh and India

Despite the 2024 mass uprising, Bangladesh’s flawed political transition continues perpetuating human rights abuses and systemic injustice.

Without structural reform, the force can’t shed its past notoriety

Renewed politicisation of laws must be avoided

Prominent economist Prof Rehman Sobhan yesterday said many are languishing in jail primarily because of their political identity, describing it as a failure of the judicial system and the interim government.

Reforms within rule-of-law institutions must occur now, not later

Justice and accountability for the egregious human rights violations of the past is crucial, but the challenge lies in ensuring this is not done by repeating patterns of reprisal and retaliation, warned Sara Hossain, a senior lawyer at the Supreme Court, as she spoke about the role of political parties in protecting human rights.

The previous decade of the NHRC’s experience demonstrates that it failed to exercise its investigative powers.

Treat social media platforms as engineered environments, not inevitabilities to endure.

He was a man of principle who was never afraid to speak truth.

The NHRC has historically had glaring shortcomings in fulfilling its function.

Do you wonder if the world is crumbling before your eyes?

The human rights situation in Bangladesh deteriorated in 2024, with widespread fear gripping the population, according to reports from three human rights organisations.