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be classified as an A-status human rights institution as per the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions, the global classification index assessing the effectiveness of human rights commissions.

“The most important aspect of A-status is ensuring that the body has been given the legislative power to be independent -- politically independent, financially independent, and substantively independent, which means it gets to choose its own agenda within the broad framework of human rights,” said Dr Edwards.

“There should be no political influence on this body, which also means a proper selection process for the commissioners who form the National Human Rights Commission,” she said, adding, “The preference for these bodies is that they report to parliament and not to the government; it should not be the government that gets to choose who the commissioners are.”

“Commissioners should also have security of tenure, knowing how long they are in their position without the worry that the government of the day may replace the head of the commission or its members with someone they prefer,” continued Dr Edwards.

Beyond the NHRC, Dr Edwards pointed to the roles of parliamentarians and the law commission in upholding human rights.

“Parliamentarians themselves, for example, can and should be able to visit places of detention, meet victims and survivors, and put forward legislation. There is also the law commission, which has a role in initiating new legislative proposals that are human rights-compliant or in receiving instructions from the government.”

She also backed the creation of an independent police complaints body or a police commission to investigate deaths or injuries in custody.

“There should also be an independent police complaints body. I also understand there was a proposal for a police commission, a body that, anytime there is an injury or a death in police custody or in the custody of the authorities, whether in a psychiatric hospital, a public hospital, or elsewhere, if there are unexplained deaths, there should be an automatic reporting mechanism to that body,” the UN expert said.

She emphasised that the government must demonstrate a “strong backbone” and a willingness to confront the country’s history of state violence.

“The government should be prepared. Once an open complaints procedure is established, reported cases of torture will likely surge. It also needs to sensitise the public in advance to communicate that there will be an influx of old cases coming forward and that this is, in fact, a sign that society is opening up,” said the UN expert.

When asked what incentive there is for a government to have autonomous human rights watchdogs, Dr Edwards responded, “If a government wants cycles of violence to continue against its own people, it is not representing those people. If it pursues revenge against its political opponents, it can be certain that revenge will come in return.”

“This might sound a little unusual, but I think it comes down to a simple question: do your leaders want to be Nelson Mandela, or would they prefer to be Idi Amin?” she said, urging leaders to consider their long-term legacy.

The UN Special Rapporteur came down hard on the torture in police and judicial custody.

“One issue that has come up continuously during my visit to Bangladesh is the police practice of relying on confessional evidence, gathering confessions from suspects and witnesses as the sole or primary source of evidence. Where that is not supplemented by other investigative tools, we end up in a cycle of violence, beatings, coercion, and intimidation within the police force.”

“Investigations need to happen beforehand. I have heard about shortcomings in forensic capacity and expertise in this country, and this is an area where the international community should assist,” she pointed out.

“Even basic practices like fingerprinting are not always carried out. Wrongful identification, alibi-checking, visiting the scene, photographing evidence -- many ordinary policing methods appear to have been overtaken by the simple reliance on remand confessions. And police will tell you themselves -- it is quite hard to extract a confession from someone who has not committed the crime,” she continued.

Dr Edwards recommended making audio and video recording during interrogations mandatory and recommended logging all detentions in a database. In addition, she explained that this culture can only be changed if the leadership plays a role.

“It requires leadership from the very top, from parliamentarians, from leaders within the police and other uniformed services. Without that leadership, it falls on individuals to do better on their own. The national policing curriculum needs to be reviewed to ensure that police are doing their job more effectively,” she recommended.

The UN special expert also pointed fingers at judges for accepting ill-investigated cases, granting repeated remands, and holding people in pre-trial detention.

“Magistrates and judges should also be demanding better investigations and pushing back on cases that are poorly investigated,” noted Dr Edwards. “Judges are repeatedly approving extensions simply because the police say they need more time. Those extensions should be limited. In most other jurisdictions, extensions are capped at 48 hours, then a maximum of 72 hours. If sufficient information has not been gathered by that point, the person cannot be charged and should be released. All of this reinforces why evidence-gathering must happen before someone is brought in.”

Asked about the pre-trial detention of thousands of people in cases filed over the July uprising, the UN special rapporteur said, “This clearly requires judicial oversight. The police should be non-politicised, and the investigative body should be a professional police force operating to the same standards regardless of which political party a person represents.”

She continued, “What I would really like to see is a recognition that a society cannot be built on cycles of revenge. It must be built on the rule of law, the separation of powers, and human rights.”