Bangladesh Through the Prism of Doctrine
Bangladesh is currently experiencing a political and constitutional vacuum following the abrupt resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina after fifteen years in office. To restore order and steer the country towards new elections, the military has announced the establishment of an interim administration. However, debates have erupted questioning the legality of the interim government as it is not provided for in the constitution.
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On the Basis of ‘Backwardness’
Following the reinstatement of a quota system that reserved 56% of vacancies in public service posts for former freedom fighters by the High Court of Bangladesh, students in Bangladesh have demanded reformation of the quota system. On 21 July, the Supreme Court of Bangladesh overturned the decision by the High Court and ordered the government to limit the quota to 7%. It thereby eliminated the quota of 10% previously reserved for women. This reflects a dangerously narrow conception of equality which could negatively impact Bangladesh’s use of special measures such as quotas to redress women’s subordinated status.
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Bangladesh’s COVID-19 Year in Review
Government authorities and political leaders take huge pride in claiming that Bangladesh has been one of the most successful countries to tackle COVID-19, with the least number of deaths compared with the size of its population (165 million). In reality, the COVID-situation and Bangladesh’s responses to the crisis are much different than the rosy picture that is often drawn.
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Women, Rape Law and the Illusory Sex Equality Clause in the Bangladeshi Constitution
Earlier in October, a video of a group of men attacking, stripping, and sexually assaulting a woman went viral in Bangladesh. Incidents of rape and sexual assaults like this are a window into understanding the state of sex-based inequality in a given society. The laws, however, must be taken into account as well, particularly if they reflect an essential male perspective and are written in gender-insensitive terms. I will explain below that in case of Bangladesh, sex-based inequality gets revealed when an illusory sex-equality clause of Bangladesh Constitution intersects with the country’s crippled commitment to the Women Convention, and sex-based inequality gets manifested through the retention of colonial-era substantive and procedural legal framework.
Continue reading >>Bangladesh’s Unofficial Emergency: Managing the COVID-19 Crisis by Notifications
It appears that Bangladesh’s legal responses to the COVID-19 crisis are inconsistent, ad hoc, and deficient in transparency and democratic practices. The unprecedented nature of the pandemic requiring exceptionally urgent actions, may be attributed to the sorry state of affairs. A thoughtful, more legitimate approach could nevertheless have been taken.
Continue reading >>Staatenlos in Assam
In ihrer Heimat gelten sie ab sofort als illegale Einwanderer. Das Land, in das sie ausgewiesen werden sollen, versinkt langsam unter dem steigenden Meeresspiegel. Fast zwei Millionen Menschen, die im indischen Bundesstaat Assam leben, gelten aufgrund der Veröffentlichung eines Nationalen Bürgerregisters durch die indische Zentralregierung seit dem 31. August 2019 als illegale Einwanderer aus Bangladesch. Tatsächlich gelten die Betroffenen bereits jetzt als Staatenlose. Den Menschen droht eine Situation rechtlicher und territorialer Bodenlosigkeit – verloren zwischen nationalem Staatsangehörigkeitsrecht und internationaler Verantwortungslosigkeit.
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Zwischen Supreme Court und Zentralregierung: Zur drohenden Staatenlosigkeit der muslimischen Minderheit in Assam
Ende Juli hat die Zentralregierung in Delhi ein neues Bürgerregister für den Bundesstaat Assam veröffentlicht, in welchem sich nicht alle Einwohner des indischen Bundesstaates wiederfinden. Ein Großteil derer, die auf der Liste fehlen, gehört der muslimischen Minderheit an. Ihnen droht die Festsetzung in Camps, der Entzug politischer Rechte, Abschiebung oder gar Staatenlosigkeit. Der Fall, dessen Historie bis in die Zeit der Unabhängigkeitsbewegungen zurückreicht, zeigt, dass gegenwärtig in Indien Ressentiments gegen ursprünglich Geflüchtete einer bestimmten religiösen Minderheit wieder aufleben und rechtlich verfestigt werden.
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