| Abdur Razzaq | |
| Birth Place: | Beanibazar, Sylhet, Pakistan (now Bangladesh) |
| Nationality: | Bangladeshi, British |
| Occupation: | Lawyer |
| Known For: | Chief defence counsel at ICT |
Abdur Razzaq (born 1949) is a Bangladeshi barrister and former Assistant Secretary General of political party Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami.[1] He was the chief defence counsel at Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal until the end of 2013, when he left Dhaka for London.[2] There he practices at the English Bar.[3]
Razzaq was the chief defence counsel at Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal, where Jamaat leaders, in particular, were indicted. Among those defended by Razzaq were former leader Ghulam Azam, leader Motiur Rahman Nizami, executive council member Delwar Hossain Sayedee, Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed, and Assistant Secretary General Abdul Quader Mollah.[4] [5] [6] [7] [8] Razzaq allegedly was harassed in various ways by government officials to make it difficult for him to perform his professional duties.[9] [10] Human Rights Watch called for him to be allowed to conduct a full and fair defence without hindrance.[11] [12]
Razzaq resigned from his position as Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Assistant Secretary General in an e-mail sent from London on February 15, 2019. In his resignation message, he said that for two decades he had tried to convince Jamaat that there should be open discussion on the role of the party in the 1971 war, and that the party should apologize for its role at that time. He also stated that he had unsuccessfully advocated for structural reforms, as well as full and effective participation of women, among other measures, in order to bring the party in line with successful and modern models used in other Muslim majority nations. Aside from within Jamaat itself, his resignation also sparked widespread discussion in Bangladesh politics. Following him, some leaders resigned from the party as well. Since then, these former leaders have come together to form an independent party called the Amar Bangladesh Party. [13] [14]