BUP seminar on human rights

Hhuman rights norms are considered to be the most non-violent weapon of 'rebellion against tyranny and oppression'. Despite the existence of normative framework of international human rights, massive human rights violations occur in scores of country. Armed conflict is one of such violations regardless of the UN Charter's prohibition against the use of force. The increasing evidence of international community's (or the concerned superpower) questionable interventions in the internal affairs of a sovereign State (e.g. Rwanda, Bosnia, Yugoslavia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Egypt, Ukraine, etc.) on the ground of human rights protectioncan potentially trigger a legitimate query, i.e. how can one distinguish a humanitarian intervention from an imperial conquest with a moral façade?

It is often argued that there is a 'symbiotic relationship between human rights and imperialism' which needs to be re-examined in this era of advanced global capitalism. Speakers at a seminar titled 'Human Rights in the Age of Imperialism', organized on 26 July 2016 by the Department of Law under the Faculty of Security and Strategic Studies (FSSS), Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP), emphasized that any intervention on the ground of humanitarian assistance must pass the test of 'last resort and proportionality', and breaching State's right of territorial sovereignty in the name of human rights protectionism can never acceptable.

Mr. Anisul Huq, Honourable Member of the Parliament and Minster for the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, was the chief guest and Professor Dr. Nazmul Ahsan Kalimullah, Pro-Vice Chancellor of BUP was the special guest. Professor Dr. Salimullah Khan, Director of the Centre for Advanced Theory, University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB), presented the keynote paper at the seminar while Md. Abu Bakar Siddique, Lecturer of Law at BUP, anchored the same. The interactive discussion session was moderated by Brigadier General Arif Maula, Dean of the FSSS at BUP.

Dr. Khan with his excellent eloquence spellbound the audience and illustrated different narratives of human rights dynamics mostly from critical legal analysis and theoretical discourse based on historical evidences of imperialism in disguise of human rights. He remarked that in case of inevitable humanitarian intervention the question of 'deontological double effect' (i.e. killing innocent and non-combatants must not be an intentional one but only permissible under unintentional consequences) should be dealt with much cautions.

The spokesmen of the seminar criticised the oxymoronic role of the developed nations specially for their double standard behavior in partaking human rights records of the developing nations in bilateral or multilateral state agendas. Honorable Minister Mr. Huq commented that the government is committed to promote and protect human rights of her citizens and is well aware of any hidden agendas.

Among other deans and chairpersons of different faculties along with faculty members of law department around 200 students of different departments were present.    

The writer is a Lecturer of Law, Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP).