Bot Law & Our Rights

Bot Law & Our Rights

Law Review / Revisiting the Draft Personal Data Protection Act 2023

In digital age, personal data fuels the online ecosystem while also raising privacy concerns. To address this issue, Bangladesh aims to strengthen its data privacy framework by adopting the draft Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (PDPA).

3d ago

Laws of War / Understanding the Syrian Armed Conflict

Rebel forces, particularly Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and the Syrian National Army (SNA), carried out an offensive that ended the 50 years of the Assad family’s authoritarian rule in Syria. An armed coalition, supported by both state and non-state actors, was involved in this offensive.

3d ago

Rights Watch / Rights of the Bangladeshi healthcare workers in the UK

There are many critical human rights issues of Bangladeshi healthcare workers who went to the United Kingdom (UK) under the Health and Care (HC) worker visa scheme.

1w ago

Rights Vision / Constitutional right to a healthy environment

The notion that a safe and healthy environment can be a right may still sound new to us.

1w ago

Gender and Law / Gender bias entrenched in our legislation

From family structures to politico-legal frameworks, deeply rooted patriarchal views have historically influenced every aspect of life.

1w ago

Women and Law / Custody, Guardianship, and Adoption: Comparing Bangladesh and Malaysia

The book named Impact of Gender on Custody, Guardianship, and Adoption authored by Professor Dr. Taslima Monsoor and Dr. Sridevi Thambapillay is an important cross-country study. In this book, the authors undertake a careful comparative study on how gender influences the practice of family law within Bangladesh and Malaysia, under Islamic law, in particular.

2w ago

Procedural Law / Legal steps for a rape victim

A very brief discussion of the possible legal steps to be taken by a rape victim are discussed in this piece.

2w ago

16 Days of Activism / A multidimensional analysis of rape

Rape and other sexual crimes are largely misunderstood because people refuse to understand or fail to understand why they are crimes in the first place.

2w ago

A call to reform the foreign donations regulation law

The clarion call for change is blowing in the wind of Bangladesh, carrying with it the potential and promise of a brighter future. To usher in this change wholeheartedly, we must acknowledge our past mistakes and work towards rectifying them. In particular, time is ripe for us to revisit the laws that potentially have a negative impact on human rights.

1m ago

A historiographical approach to addressing the refugee crisis

The global refugee crisis, with millions fleeing their homes due to violence, war, and persecution, is one of the most pressing issues of our times. While international law, particularly the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol, provide the legal frameworks for refugee protection, many nations especially former colonial powers remain reluctant to accept their fair share of responsibility. A fresh approach to solving the crisis proposes that former colonial powers should accept refugees from their former colonies as a way of addressing historical injustices.

1m ago

On the livestreaming of court proceedings

People are likely to gain confidence in the justice system when they see justice getting served. This is why courtrooms are deemed open or accessible, theoretically at least, to all. By the same logic, in an age of technologies, in order to foster public confidence, should livestreaming of court proceedings be encouraged?  Comparative discussions may prove to be useful in finding the answer.

1m ago

Reforming the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act 1973

Since the July revolution, there has been a strong push for reforms across the country. As expected, the clamours for reforms have not left the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act 1973 (ICT Act) untouched. As the government prepares to prosecute high-ranking members of the former government, it is crucial to implement extensive reforms to the Act to ensure the proceedings are beyond reproach.

1m ago

Lebanon’s War Crime Zone

According to the Charter of the United Nations under article 2(4) all members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other way inconsistent with the purposes of the United Nations.

2m ago

Empowering Army officials as special executive magistrates

It has been two months since the current interim government took over after the fall of the previous authoritarian regime.

2m ago

Rethinking constitutional minimalism

In the midst of the political transition facing Bangladesh, some people have suggested that the country should adopt a simpler constitution, akin to that of the United States— one that enshrines only the loftiest aspirations of the people while relegating procedural intricacies to statutory enactments.

2m ago

Incidents of sexual harassment and our inadequate laws

In recent months, the streets and public transports have become increasingly unsafe, with women facing escalating levels of harassment, intimidation, and verbal abuse. What was once an unspoken daily struggle has now intensified, with more aggressive tactics being employed by the perpetrators. In some instances, the harassment has taken the form of physical violence, with social media flooding with statements of women experiencing harassments, assaults, and abuse.

2m ago

Constitution, legitimacy, and governance: Addressing the hard questions

There are some serious debates around the constitutionality of Bangladesh’s interim government. We have seen attempts to justify it both in terms of Hans Kelsen’s Grundnorm theory and the existing Constitution.

2m ago

Internet outage and freedom of expression

In 2012, a resolution of the United Nations human rights organisation (UNHRC) states, “the rights that people have offline must also be protected online, especially with regard to freedom of expression.” Later in 2016, the UNHRC condemned all measures that prevent the use of the Internet as a violation of human rights.

2m ago