Barrister Syed Ishtiaq Ahmed Memorial Lecture 2022 held online

The Asiatic Society of Bangladesh organised the 18th edition of Barrister Syed Ishtiaq Ahmed Memorial Lecture on 8th December 2022 both in person and online.  The memorial lecture titled "Bangladesh and the Protracted Rohingya Refugee Obligations – A Future Pathway" was delivered by Barrister Manzoor Hasan OBE, Executive Director, Centre for Peace and Justice, BRAC University. At the very outset, Barrister Manzoor outlined national, regional and international legal instruments as well as legal mechanisms to protect the rights of the Rohingya refugees. In doing so, he briefly discussed the historical backgrounds of Rohingya problem and how the internal policies of Myanmar have impacted the life of Rohingyas.

In this lecture, Barrister Manzoor presented a comprehensive presentation relating to Rohingya refugees and legal obligations of Bangladesh under the Constitution and affirmed that though Bangladesh is not a signatory of the Refugee Convention 1951; but in Refugee and Migratory Movement Research Unit (RMMRU) v Bangladesh the apex court of Bangladesh has opined that the state practice of the Convention has established this legal instrument as customary international law. So, the government of Bangladesh is bound to respect the Convention and is obliged to do so.  Further, Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and Article 26 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Bangladesh is a party, declare that every person is entitled to seek and enjoy in other countries from asylum.

He then opined that the diplomatic role of Bangladesh needs to be reorganised and applauded. The continuous diplomatic efforts of the Bangladesh have pushed the United Nations to establish the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) by the UN Human Rights Council. He also stated that the way Gambia filed a case against Myanmar before the International Criminal Court was a great move towards prosecuting the military generals of the junta government for their atrocities against innocent civilians.

Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed, Judge at the Supreme Court of Bangladesh, commented that Barrister Manzoor's lecture reflected the vulnerable position of the Rohingya refugees. It is not only a matter of humanitarian perspective but also of Bangladesh's internal security and the regional stability of neighbouring states. The government of Bangladesh is doing enough to support the refugees beyond its capacity with limited resources. Last but not the least, the organiser of the lecture event thanked all the participants for their active participation.

Event covered by Law Desk, The Daily Star