STAFF CORRESPONDENT

The law pertaining to the National Human Rights Commission needs amendments to give the watchdog more investigative powers, speakers said at an event yesterday.

Organised by the law ministry and chaired by its additional secretary, the discussion addressed the challenges the NHRC faces and the path forward in this regard.

The law currently prohibits the commission from investigating disciplined forces.

Sultan Mohammed Zakaria, a former Bangladesh Country Specialist at Amnesty International, said the law should be amended to grant full investigative powers over disciplined forces, including the authority to summon evidence directly and conduct on-site inspections.

“Many instances of serious human rights abuse directly involve disciplined forces, and NHRC intervention is required to prevent impunity.”

At present, the commission’s recommendations are non-binding, and the government can choose to ignore its findings.

Zakaria proposed amending the law to make the NHRC’s recommendations enforceable.

Eminent human rights lawyer Sara Hossain said, “The law doesn’t allow the NHRC to intervene in sub-judice or under-trial cases. But it should be allowed to investigate the human rights violation aspects of cases even if they Pallab

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