Erasmus Mundus scholar and legal researcher with expertise in Bangladesh’s human rights, legal, security and political context; author of peer-reviewed publications on international law, human rights, environmental justice, criminal law and AI.
Extensive academic and applied legal expertise on the human rights, political, judicial, and security situation in Bangladesh. Research includes but not limited to Rohingya refugees, issues of impunity, judicial independence, police and prison conditions, enforced disappearances, religious persecution, political violence, and environmental injustices affecting indigenous communities, river law, artificial intelligence. Also specialises in Bangladesh’s obligations under international human rights and criminal law.
I have over four years of interdisciplinary experience as a legal researcher and human rights practitioner, with deep expertise on the legal, political, and human rights context of Bangladesh. I currently serve as the Coordinator of the Bangladesh Campaign at Global Human Rights Defence (GHRD), a UN ECOSOC NGO based in The Hague, where I oversee the production of legal and advocacy materials on enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, persecution of minorities, and the suppression of political dissent in Bangladesh. Also, I have launched a survival testimony archival project for the survivors of the 1971 Bangladesh Genocide. Under my leadership, the campaign has produced more than 10 in-depth legal research reports, over 30 advocacy briefs and policy articles, and public statements addressing violations of international human rights law. I have directly contributed to 3 country-specific expert reports submitted to international institutions and used by human rights litigators. I am available to produce expert witness reports for use in asylum, human rights, and immigration proceedings, particularly relating to Bangladesh and the South Asia region. I also have experience supporting a Bangladesh-based judge and a UK-based legal professional on protection claims.
5 SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
(All peer-reviewed)
All forthcoming papers have passed through the review stage(s) and awaiting publications. Preprints are available on request.
1. Mohammad Towhidul Islam and Fahim Abrar Abid, ‘Criminalising Civil Wrongs in Bangladesh: Compatibility with ICCPR’ in Matthias Vanhullebusch, Steve Foster, and Ben Stanford (eds), (2025) 9 Asian Yearbook of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law. (Forthcoming)
2. Fahim Abrar Abid and Mahbuba Kamal, ‘Kaptai Dam as the Lake of Tears: An Injustice to the Jumma’s Rights’ in Ananth Padmanabhan, Nabeela Siddiqui and Gnana Sanga Mithra (eds), River Unbound: Exploring Social Currents, Legal Tides and Stories of Flow (Routledge 2025) 86-92. Access here
3. Manjida Ahamed and Fahim Abrar Abid, ‘The Failure of an Electoral Government to Protect Human Rights Led to the Emergence of People’s Uprising: Bangladesh Context’ in Matthias Vanhullebusch, Steve Foster, and Ben Stanford (eds), (2025) 9 Asian Yearbook of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law. (Forthcoming)
4. Fahim Abrar Abid, ‘Crimes Against Culture: The International Law Framework for Cultural Heritage Destruction and its Limitations’ (2025) Harvard International Law Journal. Read here
5. Fahim Abrar Abid and others, Annual Human Rights Report 2024: Election, July Revolution, and Minorities in Bangladesh (Global Human Rights Defence 2025). Read here
LIST OF PUBLICATIONS
* Peer-reviewed publications
Journal Articles (5):
6. *Mahbuba Kamal, Fahim Abrar Abid and Masrur Salekin, ‘Strengthening Environmental Rights in the post-July Aspired Constitution: Can Judicial Activism Overturn the Focus?’ (2025) 24 Judicial Administrative Training Institute Journal. (Forthcoming)
7. *Fahim Abrar Abid, Mahbuba Kamal and Nisharga Nirjan, ‘Student Perspective of the Value of General Education in Professional Studies: Investigating a Law School in Bangladesh’ (2025) 15(2) Asian Journal of Legal Education. (Sage Publication)
Book Chapters (3):
8. *Md. Ikra and Fahim Abrar Abid, ‘AI-driven Health Insurance: Balancing Legal Challenges and Human Rights’ in Aman Deep Singh and Animesh Pratap Singh (eds), Human Rights at the Intersection of IP, Technology and Emerging Global Issues (Bloomsbury 2025). (Forthcoming)
9. *Fahim Abrar Abid and Md. Tanzirul Alam, ‘Water Contamination Risk during Flood and Ensuring Safe Water for Health: A Case Study from Bangladesh, 2024’ in Avijit Roy and others (eds), Environment and Public Health: Insights Towards Theory, Evidences and Sustainable Solutions (Springer 2025). (Forthcoming)
Blogs/Short Articles (2):
10. *Fahim Abrar Abid, ‘When ‘National Interest’ leads to Ecocide: The Unseen Constitutional Violation of Environmental Laws in Bangladesh’ (Oxford Human Rights Hub, 10 October 2024). Read here
11. Fahim Abrar Abid and Mahbuba Kamal, ‘Forest Laws and Human Health in Bangladesh: Dove-tailing Social Science with Natural Science’ (Map of Justice, 23 May 2023). Read here
Report/Others (4):
12. Fahim Abrar Abid, Wiebke Lehner and Maja Przybyszeweka, Women’s Roles in the 1971 Bangladesh Genocide (Global Human Rights Defence 2024). Read here
13. Fahim Abrar Abid, ‘Beyond the Camp: Is Education a Luxury? A Call for Rohingya Refugee Education and Global Justice’ (2023) Fall issue Global Commons. Read here
14. Fahim Abrar Abid, ‘Empowering Reproductive Health: Navigating Digital Frontiers in Bangladesh’ (2023) Fall issue Global Commons. Read here
Newspaper Articles (2):
15. Fahim Abrar Abid, ‘Building a scholarship profile for higher studies abroad’ The Daily Star (Dhaka, 24 October 2024). Read here
16. Fahim Abrar Abid, ‘Bringing Hasina to justice: Legal pathways or dead ends?’ Bangla Outlook (Dhaka, 21 September 2024). Read here
Conference Presentations (5):
17. Fahim Abrar Abid, Mahia Rahman and Mahbuba Kamal, ‘Debate of ICC vs ICT-BD to Prosecute the Crimes of ‘July Massacre’: Does This Enable Impunity Amid Competing Interests?’ (17th Biennial Meeting of the International Association of Genocide Scholars, Johannesburg, October 2025) (Accepted for presenting)
18. Masrur Salekin, Fahim Abrar Abid and Mahbuba Kamal, ‘Integrating Lidho Judgement in Enhancing Corporate Social Responsibility as a Pathway to Sustainability in the Global South: The Case Study of Bangladesh’ (31st ISDRS Annual Conference, Budapest, July 2025). (Accepted for presenting)
19. Fahim Abrar Abid and Mahbuba Kamal, ‘Kaptai Dam as the Lake of Tears: An Injustice to the Jumma’s Rights’ (International River Conference, Chennai, October 2025).
20. Fahim Abrar Abid, ‘The Challenges to Prosecute Genocide with Much Delay: Bangladesh in Context’ (8th International Conference on Genocide, Dhaka, October 2023).
21. Fahim Abrar Abid and Mahbuba Kamal, ‘Balancing the Scales: Dispute Resolution Mechanism for the Protection of Consumer Rights in Bangladesh's Aviation Industry’ (1st Conference on Aviation Space Law, Dhaka, November 2023).