Parliament Clears Legal Shield for July Uprising Participants

The National Parliament on Wednesday passed the July Mass Uprising (Protection and Liability Determination) Bill 2026, granting legal protection and indemnity to participants of the 2024 movement. The bill, introduced by Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, adopts the ordinance previously issued by the interim government without any changes.

This legislation officially designates students and members of the general public who took part in the movement to topple the Sheikh Hasina regime as “participants in the mass uprising.” It mandates that all civil and criminal cases filed against these participants for incidents occurring during the movement be withdrawn.

The law further stipulates that no such cases may be filed against these individuals in the future. It outlines specific procedures for disposing of pending cases, requiring courts to discharge or acquit the accused immediately upon application by a public prosecutor.

Such applications must be accompanied by government certification to ensure the participant's status. However, the bill provides a specific avenue for addressing allegations of killings that occurred during the uprising.

Complaints regarding killings may be submitted to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) for formal investigation. To ensure impartiality, the NHRC is prohibited from assigning these investigations to any current or former officers of the institution or force where a victim was employed.

If an arrest becomes necessary during such an investigation, the investigating officer must first obtain approval from the commission with reasonable justification. If the NHRC finds that an act was a criminal misuse of the chaotic situation, it will submit a report to the competent court to be treated as a police report.

Conversely, if the commission concludes the act was part of political resistance, it may order the government to provide compensation to the victim’s family. In such instances, no further lawsuits or legal proceedings regarding the matter can be initiated in any court.

During the discussion on the bill, MP Hasnat Abdullah criticized the government for its handling of related legislation. He specifically came down heavily on the administration for not passing the National Human Rights Commission ordinance that was also issued by the interim government.