Shahriyar Kabir (born 20 November 1950) is a Bangladeshi

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

filmmaker Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, castin ...

human rights activist A human rights defender or human rights activist is a person who, individually or with others, acts to promote or protect human rights. They can be journalists, environmentalists, whistleblowers, trade unionists, lawyers, teachers, housing campai ...

, and author of more than 70 books focusing on human rights, communism, fundamentalism, history, and the Bangladesh war of independence. He was awarded

Bangla Academy Literary Award The Bangla Academy Literary Award ( bn, বাংলা একাডেমি সাহিত্য পুরস্কার; ''Bangla Academy Shahitya Puroshkar''), is given by the Bangla Academy of Bangladesh in recognition of creative genius i ...

in 1995.

Early life and education

Kabir was born in Feni district,

Chittagong Division Chittagong Division, officially known as Chattogram Division, is geographically the largest of the eight administrative divisions of Bangladesh. It covers the south-easternmost areas of the country, with a total area of and a population at the 2 ...

East Pakistan East Pakistan was a Pakistani province established in 1955 by the One Unit Scheme, One Unit Policy, renaming the province as such from East Bengal, which, in modern times, is split between India and Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India ...

and now in Bangladesh on 20 November 1950. He attended St Gregory's School. He passed his higher secondary exam from

Jagannath College Jagannath University (JnU) ( bn, জগন্নাথ বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় ''Jagannātha biśbabidyālaẏa'', University Acrostic : জবি or JnU) is a state-funded public university at 9–10, Chittaranjan Avenue in Sa ...

. He was a student of the Department of Bengali at the

University of Dhaka The University of Dhaka (also known as Dhaka University, or DU) is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is the oldest university in Bangladesh. The university opened its doors to students on July 1st 1921. Currently i ...

. Shariar Kabir was one of the prominent activists of Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra in

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

durin
Liberation War
He helped to write inspiring script & poems for freedom fighter during the war which were played in Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra. Then he was a student of Bengali Department of the

. He 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 Bichitra is a defunct weekly literary magazine. It was owned by the Government of Bangladesh and edited by Shahadat Chowdhury. The magazine has been described as a historic milestone and a pioneering magazine. History Fazal Shahabuddin is the fo ...

''. He was the one of the main Editor of

, 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 Bangladesh Lekhak Shibir is a Bangladeshi literary and cultural organisation founded in 1972. History Bangladesh Lekhak Shibir was established in 1970 as Lekhak Sangram Shibir by liberal Bengali writers Ahmed Sharif, Humayun Kabir, Sardar Fazlul ...

''.

Career

In January 1992, '' Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee'' (Committee for Resisting Killers and Collaborators of Bangladesh Liberation War of 71) was formed by 101 people. This committee called for the trial of people who committed crimes against humanity in the 1971

Bangladesh Liberation War The Bangladesh Liberation War ( bn, মুক্তিযুদ্ধ, , also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, or simply the Liberation War in Bangladesh) was a revolution and War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Benga ...

in collaboration with the

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the Army, land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the partition of India, Partition of British India, wh ...

. The Ghatak-Dalal Nirmul Committee set up mock trials in Dhaka in March 1992 known as Gono Adalot (Court of the people) and 'sentenced' persons they accused of being war criminals.

Jahanara Imam Jahanara Imam (3 May 1929 – 26 June 1994) was a Bangladeshi writer and political activist. She is known for her efforts to bring those accused of committing war crimes in the Bangladesh Liberation War to trial. She has been called "Shaheed Ja ...

and 24 others were charged with treason. This charge was, however, dropped in 1996 after her death by the Chief advisor Mohammed Habibur Rahman of the

Caretaker government A caretaker government is a temporary ''ad hoc'' government that performs some governmental duties and functions in a country until a regular government is elected or formed. Depending on specific practice, it usually consists of either randomly se ...

of that time. 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. 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 Khaleda Zia (; born Khaleda Khanam Putul in 1945) is a Bangladeshi politician who served as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh from March 1991 to March 1996, and again from June 2001 to October 2006. She was the first female prime minister of Ba ...

of the

Bangladesh National Party The Bangladesh Nationalist Party ( bn, বাংলাদেশ জাতীয়তাবাদী দল, Bangladesh Jātīyotābādī Dol; BNP) is a centre-right to right-wing nationalist, political party in Bangladesh and one of the majo ...

had come to power. The government charged him with

sedition Sedition is overt conduct, such as speech and organization, that tends toward rebellion against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent toward, or insurrection against, estab ...

and "tarnishing the image of the government" because he was investigating attacks on the

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

minority from October to December 2001 and accused minister of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami of taking part in war crimes during

. 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. He was then released on bail in January 2002.Admin, "Humanists Must be Released!"
International Humanist and Ethical Union, 5 January 2003. Retrieved 8 March 2013 In February 2002, a bomb was thrown at a reception for him in

Chittagong Press Club Chittagong Press Club () is a Chittagong, the second largest city in Bangladesh, based club and association of journalists. Ali Abbas and Chowdhury Farid are respectively the President and General Secretary of club. History Chittagong Press Club w ...

, killing one bystander. Kabir was arrested again in December 2002 . 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 The Bangladesh Liberation War ( bn, মুক্তিযুদ্ধ, , also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, or simply the Liberation War in Bangladesh) was a revolution and armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Bengali n ...

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 Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami ( bn, বাংলাদেশ জামায়াতে ইসলামী, Bānglādēsh Jāmāyatē Islāmī, Bangladesh Islamic Assembly), previously known as Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, or Jamaat for short, was ...

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 Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), 1958 is an act of the Parliament of India that grants special powers to the Indian Armed Forces to maintain public order in "disturbed areas". According to the Disturbed Areas (Special Courts) Act, 19 ...

. He has alleged that

Ghulam Azam Ghulam Azam ( bn, গোলাম আযম; 7 November 192223 October 2014) was a Bangladeshi Islamist politician. He was the former leader of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, the largest Islamist political party in Bangladesh. Azam was arrested b ...

, 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 Jamaat e Islami leader, '' Maulana'' A.K.M. Yusuf. Kabir has supported efforts by the

Awami League In Urdu language, Awami is the adjectival form for '' Awam'', the Urdu language word for common people. The adjective appears in the following proper names: *Awami Colony, a neighbourhood of Landhi Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan *Awami Front, wa ...

-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 ban on the Jamaat-e-Islami party. Ghulam Azam was also convicted by the International Crimes Tribunal. Shahriyar Kabir is also a very popular author for children and young adult's adventure book genre. He has penned many books like Nuliachorir Shonar Pahar, Abuder Adventure, Carpathian er Kalo Golap etc.

Criticism

Shahriar Kabir did not take part in the liberation war according to 'Letters written in memory of Jahanara Imam' written by Mushtari Shafi, former convener of the Committee for the Elimination of Killer Brokers of 1971, and Shahriar Kabir was mentioned as a supplier of chickens to Pakistani army camps during the war. Shahriar Kabir has denied these allegations.

Works

Documentaries

* "Juddhaporadh '71" (2008) * Muktijudder Gaan(মুক্তিযুদ্ধের গান)www.prothom-alo.com * Cry for justice

Publications

# ''Puber Surjo'' (পূবের সূর্য) (Juvenile novel), Calcutta 1972, # ''Nuliachhoriyr Sonar Pahar'' (নুলিয়াছড়ির সোনার পাহাড়) (Juvenile novel), Dhaka 1976 # ''Hariye Jayor Thikana'' (হারিয়ে যাওয়ার ঠিকানা) (Juvenine novel), Dhaka 1976 # ''Comrade Mao Tse-Tung'' (কমরেড মাও সে তুং) (Biography), Dhaka 1977 # ''Abuder Adventure'' (আবুদের এডভেঞ্চার) (collection of juvenile stories), Dhaka 1983 # ''Ekatturer Jishu'' (একাত্তরের যীশু) (collection of short stories), Dhaka 1986, # ''Oder Janiye Dao'' (ওদের জানিয়ে দাও) (novel), Dhaka 1986, # ''Janaika Protaroker Kahini'' (জনৈক প্রতারকের কাহিনী) (collection of short stories), Dhaka 1987, # ''Simante Sanghat'' (সীমান্তে সংঘাত) (juvenile novel), Dhaka 1988, # ''Enver Hozar Smriti'' (ইনভের হযার স্মৃতি) (Reminiscence of Enver Hoxa of Albania), Dhaka 1988, # ''Hanabareer Rohos'' (হানাবাড়ির রহস্য) (Juvenile novel), Dhaka 1989, # ''Nicolas Rozarior Chhelera'' (নিকোলাস রোজারিওর ছেলেরা) (Juvenile novel), Dhaka 1989, # ''Michhiler akjon'' (মিছিলের একজন) (collection of short stories), Dhaka 1989, # ''Pathariar Khoni Rohoshyo'' (পাথারিয়ার খনি রহস্য) (Juvenile novel), Dhaka 1989, # ''Maolana Bhashani'' (মাওলানা ভাসানি) (Biography), Dhaka 1989, # ''Mohabipad Sanket'' (মহাবিপদ সংকেত) (collection of short stories), Dhaka 1990, # ''From Balkan to Batlic (Travelogue), Dhaka 1990, # ''Bangladeshe Samprodaikatar chalchitra'' (বাংলাদেশে সাম্প্রদায়িক চালচিত্র) (Non fiction), Dhaka 1993. # ''Sadhu Gregorir Dinguli'' (সাধু গ্রেগরির দিনগুলি) (autobiography), Dhaka 1994, # ''Bangladeshe Moulobad-O-Sangkhaloghhu Samprodye'' (বাংলাদেশে মৌলবাদ ও সংখ্যালঘু সম্প্রদায়) (Essay), Dhaka 1995, # ''Sheikh Mujib-O-Muktijudhher Chetona'' (শেখ মুজিব ও মুক্তিযুদ্ধের চেতনা) (Essay), Dhaka 1997, # ''Shantir Pathye Ashanto Parbottyo Chattogram'' (শান্তির পথে অশান্ত পার্বত্য চট্রগ্রাম) (Essay), Dhaka 1998, # ''Kashmirer Akashey Moulobader Kalomegh'' (কাশ্মিরের আকাশে মৌলবাদের কালমেঘ) (Essay), 1999, # ''Muktijuddher Brittyobondi Itihash'' (মুক্তিযুদ্ধের বৃত্তবন্দী ইতিহাস)'' (Essay), Dhaka 2000, # ''Ekattorer Gonohattya O Juddhaporddhider Bichar'' (একাত্তরের গণহত্যা ও যুদ্ধাপরাধিদের বিচার) (Essay), Dhaka 2001, # ''Dakshin Asiaye Moulobad'' (দক্ষিণ এশিয়ায় মৌলবাদ) (Essay), Dhaka 2001, # ''Pakistan Theke phirey'' (পাকিস্তান থেকে ফিরে) (Travelogue), Dhaka 2002, # ''Bangladeshe Shamprodayik Nirjaton'' (বাংলাদেশে সাম্প্রদায়িক নির্যাতন) (Essay), Dhaka 2002, # ''Bangladeshe Manobadhikar O Shamprodayekota'' (বাংলাদেশে মানবাধিকার ও সাম্প্রদায়িকতা) (Essay) Dhaka-2003, # ''Abaruddhyo Shawdesh Theke'' (অবরুদ্ধ স্বদেশ থেকে) (Travelogue), Dhaka 2003, # ''My Sojourn in Pakistan'' (Travelogue) Dhaka-2003.Kabir, Shahriar,''Sadhu Gragrir Dinguli'' (2010), Dhaka, Bangladesh, cover page=2,

Edited books

# Genocide 71 (Ed. jointly with Prof. Ahmed Sharif & Prof. Serajul Islam Chowdhury), Dhaka 1989, # Bangladesh Genocide After Twenty Years (Ed. jointly with Frank Kerrigon), New York, 1994, # Resist Fundamentalism : Focus on Bangladesh, Dhaka, 1995, # White Paper : Repression on Religious Minority, Dhaka, 1996. # Tormenting Seventy One Dhaka, 1999.