Human Rights Watch (HRW) on 23 September 2026 warned that three laws passed by Bangladesh's Parliament in September 2026 have significantly weakened human rights protections and broken the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party's (BNP) pre-election pledges on reform. The US-based advocacy group said the legislation undermines institutional independence and shields security forces from accountability.

Laws That Raise Alarm

According to HRW, the Prime Minister Tarique Rahman-led BNP government has enacted legislation that strips Bangladesh's National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of its independence and curtails its investigative authority. One law, passed on 6 September following a walkout by opposition legislators, bars the NHRC from directly investigating alleged rights violations by security forces.

Under the new framework, the commission can only request a report from the accused agency. A 'vaguely worded provision', as HRW described it, appears to permit independent NHRC inquiries only if the agency fails to respond or its report is deemed unsatisfactory — a significant procedural constraint. The law also reportedly restores government control over NHRC appointments, reduces budgetary and administrative independence, and downgrades the status of the National Preventive Mechanism.

RAB Renamed, Not Disbanded

The most contested measure concerns the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), a paramilitary force long criticised for extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and torture. Bangladesh's parliament passed the Special Response Battalion Act on 10 September, nominally abolishing the RAB. However, HRW noted that the law effectively renames the force as the Special Response Battalion (SRB) — which began operating on 16 September — while transferring all personnel, powers, property, and records. Even the logo, HRW observed, remains unchanged, with only the letters 'RAB' replaced by 'SRB'.

HRW said the new body operates with fewer safeguards than those applicable to the regular police, raising fears that the structural abuses associated with the RAB will persist under a different name.

HRW Quotes and Key Concerns

Elaine Pearson, Asia Director at HRW, expressed grave concern: 'The new government's efforts to shield security forces from scrutiny and accountability offer no reason to trust that killings and disappearances will remain a thing of the past.'

This comes amid broader international scrutiny of Bangladesh's post-election governance trajectory. Notably, the walkout by opposition legislators during the 6 September session drew attention to the contested nature of the legislative process itself.

International Partners Called to Act

HRW has urged Bangladesh's international partners — specifically the European Union and the United Kingdom — to formally and publicly express concern over the human rights record and emerging policy direction of the new government. The group's appeal signals escalating pressure on Western partners to condition engagement with Dhaka on demonstrable rights commitments.

With Bangladesh's democratic transition under close international watch, these legislative moves are likely to shape foreign policy responses and development partnerships in the months ahead.