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Shahriar Kabir (; born 20 November 1950) is a Bangladeshi
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Kabir started his writings for teenagers and juveniles when he was a university student. After the war, he joined as a journalist in the Daily Bangla and also in the Weekly Bichitra. He was one of the main editors of Weekly Bichitra, which played a vital role for the punishment of liberation war criminals. From 1976 to 1980 he became the general secretary of the organization Bangladesh Lekhak Shibir.
Kabir played a major role in formation of Nirmul Committee. The people's court set up by the Ekattorer Ghatak-Dalal Nirmul Committee led by Jahanara Imam was deemed unlawful by the Government of Bangladesh. After the death of Jahanara Imam, he became the acting president of Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee in 1994.
Kabir has been active for years as a journalist writing about human rights in Bangladesh. He was arrested twice in the early 2000s for what the government considered illegal attacks. He was first arrested in November 2001, after the government of Khaleda Zia of the Bangladesh National Party had come to power. The government charged him with sedition and "tarnishing the image of the government" because he was investigating attacks on the Hindu minority from October to December 2001 and accused minister of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami of taking part in war crimes during Bangladesh Liberation War.
In December 2002, Kabir was detained along with historian Muntassir Mamoon. As the head of the Nirmul Committee, which he founded in 1992 to work for prosecution of those responsible for genocide and other war crimes during the Bangladesh War of Independence in 1971, Kabir has continued to take an active role. Observers said that the BNP was threatened as its principal political partner, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has leaders who have been alleged to have participated as in paramilitary forces against liberation in 1971, which the party opposed. When the High Court ruled on 4 January 2003 that Kabir's detention without charges was illegal, the government held him for an additional 90 days under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act. Barrister M Amir-ul Islam said, "The behaviour of the government clearly goes against the rule of law and human rights. Furthermore, it is ignoring and violating the High Court order". He was then released on bail in January 2002. He was admitted to Dhaka Community Hospital after his release along with Muntasir Mamun. He was the general secretary of the South Asian People's Union against Fundamentalism and Communalism.
In 2006, Kabir met with former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina demanding the scrapping of the deal between Awami League and Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish describing the deal as a threat to secular values. He was accompanied by Kabir Chowdhury, Ajoy Roy, Ferdousi Priyabhashini, and Sara Zaker. In November 2007, Kabir called for the creation of a tribunal for the trial of collaborators from the Bangladesh Liberation War. In 2008, the Criminal Investigation Department cleared him of sedition charges from 2001. Judge Mohammad Azizul Haque of the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court dismissed the sedition charges against him as being fabricated. He called Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami the "biggest enemy of Islam" for its role in the Bangladesh Liberation War. In October 2008, he called on the government to reinstall sculptures removed from the front of the Zia International Airport following demands by Islamists. In 2010, the High Court Division started hearing on a petition filed by him and Muntasir Mamun challenging the legality of their detention in 2002. He was the convenor of the Antorjatik Aporadh Tribunal Dhaka Sohayak Moncho.
Kabir has supported efforts by the Awami League-led government, which won a two-thirds majority in the Parliament in December 2008, to establish an International Crimes Tribunal in 2009 to prosecute war crimes. The first trials were completed in early 2013, with three men convicted who have been prominent in Jamaat since the liberation war, which the party opposed. Afterwards he called for a trial and ban on the Jamaat-e-Islami party. Ghulam Azam was also convicted by the International Crimes Tribunal. Kabir alleged that Ghulam Azam, a former leader of Jamaat e Islami at the time of the liberation war, had played an important role in the mass killings of the 1971 conflict, as had Jamaat as a group. He has also said that the Razakars were founded by the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami leader, Maulana A.K.M. Yusuf, and their ID cards were signed by Motiur Rahman Nizami, politician of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami. He testified against Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed, Secretary General of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami. In 2010, he called for the trial process to be transparent. He was the first prosecution witness in the Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed. In 2011, he called on Ghulam Arieff Tipoo, Chief Prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal, to resign. He criticized strikes by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami as an attempt to stop the International Crimes Tribunal. He created a documentary The Ultimate Jihad, which focused on ties between Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and terrorism. He expressed disappointment over the tribunal not confiscating the assets of convicted war criminals and that organizations were not tried for participating in war crimes.
Kabir was critical of the Awami League government for trying to prevent observation of the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples.
Kabir called both the 2015 Dhaka South City Corporation election and the 2015 Dhaka North City Corporation election fair. In January 2017, he was elected president of the Ekattarer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee. He was critical of the collaborator list made by the Ministry of Liberation War in 2019. He created a documentary on the Bangladesh Genocide called Voice of Conscience. In 2020, he called on the United Nations to resettle the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh to a third country. He called on the government to protect the ancestorial residence of Ramnath Biswas. He warned against Islamic fundamentalism in 2001.
Kabir is author for children and young adult's adventure book genre. He wrote books including Nuliachorir Shonar Pahar, Abuder Adventure, Carpathian er Kalo Golap etc. In May 2024, Kabir called for the creation of National Minority Commission while describing the Awami League governments effort to protect minorities as a failure. Shyamoli Nasrin Chowdhury replaced Kabir as the President of the Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee. He called Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan to revive the International Crimes Tribunal which had become dormant.
On 17 September 2024, Kabir was arrested in Dhaka by the Detective Branch of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police on a case over allegations of crimes against humanity and mass killing. He was also accused in a murder case filed over the death of Imran Hossain, a student, at Kutubkhali, Jatrabari Thana. He was placed in remand in the death of two protestors, who died in protests against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, along with journalists Shyamal Dutta and Mozammel Babu. He was later placed in a second remand by Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Haider Ali. He was interrupted from speaking in court by lawyers aligned with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. He suffered two heart attacks while in custody, which his family alleged was due to medical negligence. Public Prosecutor Omar Faruq Faruqi opposed his bail on health grounds, stating, "Shahriar Kabir is a named suspect in the case. Under his direction, protesters were shot, leading to injuries and the death of Rafiqul Islam in Jatrabari. He is an atheist and has spoken against Muslims. Atheists support the Awami League, and the Awami League supports them. He is directly involved in this killing.".
On 21 September 2024, a group of human rights defenders, genocide scholars, and writers from around the world sent a letter to Dr. Muhammad Yunus, Chief Advisor of the Interim Government of Bangladesh, urging the release of Shahriar Kabir. The letter was signed by prominent international human rights leaders and genocide scholars, including: Paulo Casaca, Executive Director of the South Asia Democratic Forum (Portugal); Dr.
/ref> Many Hindus had been intimidated and attacked by party workers during that period in an effort to keep them away from the polls, as they generally did not vote for the Islamist parties. Kabir was documenting accounts by the survivors. Documents and recordings of attacks on Hindu minorities were seized from him by security personnel.In February 2002, a bomb was thrown at a reception for him in Chittagong Press Club, killing one bystander.
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Personal life
Kabir was married to Fatema Kabir (died 2020). His brother-in-law was Fateh Ali Chowdhury (died 2024), member of the Crack Platoon.
Works
Edited books
Allegations
Shahrier Kabir has been a subject of controversy due to various perspectives on his actions and beliefs. According to claims made by Kader Siddiqi, a notable freedom fighter and politician, Shahrier Kabir was reputed to have supplied chicken to the Pakistani army during certain historical events, earning him the nickname "Murgi Kabir". Additionally, Kabir is a controversial figure known for his strong anti-Islamist stance. His account of the War of Liberation has been criticized by some as fabricated, with allegations that he uses this narrative to gain favor with the autocratic Hasina regime. These controversies, published by Daily Inqilab, have contributed to varying interpretations of Kabir's role and legacy within the context of Bangladesh's socio-political landscape. Shahriar Kabir has denied these allegations.
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