The article was first published in the Deltagram on Saturday, 31 January 2026. What the Chankharpul judgment gets right and what it leaves unresolved The verdict advances accountability upward, but raises questions about attributing responsibility for the perpetrators. By Muhammad Abdur Raqib Representative photograph. Violating curfew may constitute a legal Read more
By Khandaker A. Raquib Last morning, the International Crimes Tribunal assembled to hear charges of enforced disappearance against twelve senior military officers, the majority of whom had already fled the country. Only three generals appeared in person to challenge allegations tied to the Joint Interrogation Cell (JIC), popularly known as Read more
Justice Without Redistribution: Lessons from South Africa for Bangladesh By Khandaker A. Raquib In his essay “Beyond Nuremberg: The Historical Significance of the Post-Apartheid Transition in South Africa”, Mahmood Mamdani argues that South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) presented a radically different model of justice from the Nuremberg Trials. Read more
The Theatre of Justice and the Politics of Evasion By Khandaker A. Raquib A recent interview published by Netra News with the brother of Shaheed Taim [killed in a police “crossfire” in Jatrabari] has generated deep unease. This unease is not only about the tragic killing itself but also about Read more
The Supreme Court Frees Mobarak Hossain and Challenges War Crimes Accountability In a landmark judgment delivered by Bangladesh’s Supreme Court, former Awami League leader Mobarak Hossain of Akhaura, Brahmanbaria has been fully acquitted of all war crimes charges related to atrocities during the 1971 Liberation War. The ruling reverses his Read more
A Turning Point for International Crimes Accountability in Bangladesh In a historic and highly anticipated ruling, Bangladesh’s Supreme Court has acquitted Jamaat-e-Islami leader ATM Azharul Islam of all war crimes charges, reversing his 2014 death sentence and raising serious questions about the integrity of previous prosecutions carried out under the Read more
Truth, Politics, and Presumption: The UK Supreme Court’s Ruling on Chowdhury Mueen‑Uddin In a watershed judgment delivered on June 20, 2024, the United Kingdom Supreme Court unanimously upheld Chowdhury Mueen‑Uddin’s right to pursue a libel claim against the UK Home Secretary, overturning lower courts that had dismissed it as an abuse Read more