Bangladesh: Silencing Voices With The Digital Security Act
“If all mankind minus one were of one opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind.” ~John Stuart Mill, Philosopher According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Bangladesh ranks 151 in 2020 out of 180 countries, thus falling five […]
A Tale Of Misplaced Priorities
It’s mind-boggling to think of a situation where there is an urgency, poor people are in dire need, and money is in the hands of the government allocated to help those in need, but the money is not being distributed properly. This is what is happening with the Bangladesh government’s cash transfer programme for the […]
The United States: Cherry Picking Human Rights Issues
“To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity”. ~Nelson Mandela In June, President Donald Trump signed legislation calling for sanctions against those responsible for the repression and oppression of Uighur Muslims in the far western regions of Xinjiang, China. The bill passed the U.S. Congress almost unanimously and is meant to […]
As The Sino-Indian Rivalry Heats Up, Watch Bangladesh Carefully
The ongoing tensions and stalemate between India and China in Ladakh along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) has brought not only the Sino-Indian rivalry into the spotlight, but also India’s relationships with its neighbors. Unlike previous instances, when India used to enjoy unqualified support from all its neighbors save Pakistan, the clash with Beijing has […]
Book launch of Bangladesh: A Suffering People Under State Terrorism (Peter Lang, 2020)
Bangladesh: A Suffering People Under State Terrorism explores the destructive political situation in Bangladesh under the one-party and one-person rule of the despotic Sheikh Hasina. The contributors to this edited collection examine the catastrophic political environment of the country in view of the Hasina regime’s relentless oppression and repression since 2009, the authoritarian rule of her […]
George Floyd: 8 minutes and 46 seconds
When civility leads to death, Revolting is the only logical reaction. The cries of peace will rain down, And when they do, they will land on deaf ears, Because your violence has brought this resistance. We have the right to fight back. ~Colin Kaepernick, May 28, 2020 In 2016, American football player, Colin Kaepernick peacefully […]
Bangladesh And Covid-19: A Disaster Within A Disaster
“The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but those who watch them without doing anything,’ ~Albert Einstein The government of Bangladesh seems to have no other choice but to reimpose a lockdown in order to quell the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. The need for a second lockdown arises greatly due […]
Lives Or Livelihoods: Evidence From The Spanish Flu
The past is never dead. It’s not even past,” wrote William Faulkner. I think of this line as I continue to study the last great influenza pandemic to devastate the world, foreshadowing 102 years ago, the devastation of our current pestilence, COVID-19. Yes, as my medically trained friends point out, one cannot take the similarities […]
The United States, Trump And The Pandemic
According to the noted American linguist, political commentator, historian and philosopher, Noam Chomsky, the coronavirus pandemic could have been avoided altogether. He notes that among the western countries, the worst at handling the crisis were the United Kingdom and the United States.
Human rights groups urge Bangladesh to restore Rohingya refugee camps’ internet
Human rights campaigners have urged Bangladesh to restore mobile internet connections for hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees living in crowded camps, arguing that people there need access to information amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Some 50 organizations, including London-based Amnesty International, appealed Thursday in a joint letter to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina after Bangladesh reported […]