C R Abrar

The government has churned out yet another freedom-curtailing law for the parliament to legislate.

2017 has just ended. The impending closure gives citizens an opportunity to take stock of the achievements and challenges they faced during the course of the year.

The much-maligned Section 57 of the infamous Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Act 2006 has come in handy again for suppressing dissent. This time the target is a well-known professor of law of the University of Dhaka, a reputed columnist and an eloquent speaker.

The dusts of Suhrawardy Udyan have settled down by now. The much-talked-about papal visit to Burma and Bangladesh has come to an end. The visit created quite a bit of furore both at home and abroad.

Understanding Myanmar's treatment of the Rohingya as genocidal is critical in light of narratives framing the plight of the Rohingya as a “humanitarian crisis” or “ethnic cleansing” and the Myanmar government's consistent denial of abuse. The latest exodus of Rohingyas that began on August 25, 2017 is an integral part of the realisation of the genocidal agenda.

Despite severe resource constraints, they have remained resolute in upholding the dignity of the refugees, sacrificing their own interests. It's time that those at the helm of the state acknowledge their contribution and ensure their voices are heeded in planning and implementing the refugee management strategy.

Don't the pundits who make the decisions know that acknowledging them as refugees will accord them rights; foremost among them is the right to return. It also obligates the international community for “burden sharing”.

Finally, the barbaric regime of Myanmar has been put on the dock and found guilty of the crime of all crimes: genocide.

Arakan is burning. The Burmese rulers appear to be on the brink of achieving their much-longed-for a “final solution” of the Rohingya question.

During a visit to India in 2013 as UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres observed, “India's refugee policy is an example for the rest of the world to follow.”

Rohingyas of northern Arakan are facing yet another round of armed atrocities. Not only are they at the receiving end of indiscriminate use of bullets, bayonets and firing from helicopter gunships; their homes, hearths, livestock, crops and businesses are being consumed by bellowing fire deliberately lit by the Burmese security forces and their Rakhine cohorts.

August 30 reminds the international community that enforced disappearance is a crime and cannot be condoned under any circumstances.

The state of Bangladesh appears to be clamping down on its active citizens. Almost every month, we are coming across reports of police excesses against protesting students...

"There were quite a few cadres (armed goons) and hoodlums in Savar. Now the situation is still as water. No one dares to utter a word. I have put five persons to cross fire and have prepared the list of another 14."

The content and tenor of deliberations at the House on July 9 raise the question whether the MPs acted within their mandate. The answer is an unequivocal no. Article 94(4) of Bangladesh Constitution stipulates that the Chief Justice and the other Judges of the SC shall be independent in exercise of their judicial functions.

Yogi Adityanath, the recently appointed BJP chief minister of the largest state of the Indian Union, has again become the subject of

Finally, the Goddess of Themis had to step down. And she had to do so unceremoniously, under duress. Earlier, the elders of the

Last Wednesday (May 17, 2017), the Foreign Ministry came up with a draconian directive to Bangladesh missions. It urged all

Police has come up with a plea. Although one officer articulated it at the first ever 'welfare parade' attended by the Prime Minister of the State; there is little doubt that the senior leadership of the police, if not the institution as a whole, subscribes to the idea.

Over the last year or so the executive and the legislative arms of the State appear to have geared up their disparagement of the higher judiciary.