Chowdhury Rafiqul Abrar, also known as C. R. Abrar, is a retired professor of International relations of the University of Dhaka, human rights activist, and executive director of

Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit () is a research institute and think tank in Bangladesh that works with migrants and refugees. It is based out of the University of Dhaka. Tasneem Arefa Siddiqui is the founding chairperson of Refuge ...

. He is the president of

Odhikar Odhikar () is a Bangladesh-based human rights organization, that was founded in October 1994. It is a member of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH). It has been publishing an annual activity report since 2003. Odhikar's work has ...

, a human rights organization. On March 5, 2025, he was appointed as the

Adviser An adviser or advisor is normally a person with more and deeper knowledge in a specific area and usually also includes persons with cross-functional and multidisciplinary expertise. An adviser's role is that of a mentor or guide and differs catego ...

to the

Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

in the

interim government of Bangladesh An interim government led by Muhammad Yunus was formed on 8 August 2024 in Bangladesh, following the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on 5 August 2024 amid nationwide student and public protests against the government. Following the ...

Early life

Rafiqul Abrar studied in St. Gregory's High School till class 8 and completed Matriculation and Intermediate from

Mirzapur Cadet College Mirzapur Cadet College () is a military high school in Tangail, Bangladesh. Like other cadet colleges in the country, it follows the curriculum prescribed by the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) with English version and emphasizes ...

. He Completed his bachelor from the Department of International Relations,

University of Dhaka The University of Dhaka (), also known as Dhaka University (DU), is a public university, public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Established in 1921, it is the oldest active university in the country. The University of Dhaka w ...

and master's from the

University of Sussex The University of Sussex is a public university, public research university, research university located in Falmer, East Sussex, England. It lies mostly within the city boundaries of Brighton and Hove. Its large campus site is surrounded by the ...

. He completed his PhD from the

Griffith University Griffith University is a public university, public research university in South East Queensland on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of Australia. The university was founded in 1971, but was not officially opened until 1975. Griffith ...

Career

Rafiqul Abrar founded the Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit in 1995 along with Tasneem Arefa Siddiqui,

Shahdeen Malik Shahdeen Malik () is a Bangladeshi lawyer, eminent jurist, constitutional expert, and legal activist. Early life and education Dr. Shahdeen Malik was born in Saruala village of Bishwanath Upazila, Biswanath Upazila under Sylhet district of Ban ...

Sumaiya Khair Sumaiya Khair is a law professor, researcher, and human rights activist. She is the former chair of the Department of Law at the University of Dhaka. She is an advisor to the executive committee of Transparency International Bangladesh. She is a me ...

, and

Yasmin Ali Haque Yasmin Ali Haque is a human rights activist and the UNICEF country representative to India. Early life Haque graduated from Dhaka Medical College and did a masters in health system management from the University of London. Career In 1996, Haq ...

. Rafiqul Abrar wrote Aid, Development and Diplomacy in 1999. He coedited Towards National Refugee Laws in South Asia with Shahdeen Malik and published in 2000. Rafiqul Abrar led a discussion on Ustad

Alauddin Khan Ustad Allauddin Khan (8 October 1862 – 6 September 1972), was a Bengali sarod player and multi-instrumentalist, composer and one of the most notable music teachers of the 20th century in Indian classical music. For a generation many of his stu ...

and Ustad

Ayet Ali Khan Ayet Ali Khan was a Bengali classical musician. Early life Khan was born in Shibpur, Brahmanbaria, Bengal Presidency, British Raj in 1884. He trained under his brothers Fakir Aftabuddin Khan and Ustad Alauddin Khan. He trained in Rampur under Ust ...

organised by Ustad Ayet Ali Khan Sangeet Niketan and

Mobarak Hossain Khan Mobarak Hossain Khan (27 February 1938 – 24 November 2019) was a Bangladeshi musicologist, musician, and writer. He played the surbahar, a bass version of the sitar. Background Khan was born on 27 February 1938. He came from a musical backg ...

and attended by Professor

Jahanara Begum Jahanara Begum (23 March 1614 – 16 September 1681) was a princess of the Mughal Empire. She was the second and the eldest surviving child of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal. After Mumtaz Mahal's untimely death in 1631, the 17-ye ...

, advisor to Prime Minister

Khaleda Zia Begum Khaleda Zia (born August–September 1945) is a Bangladeshi politician who served as the prime minister of Bangladesh from 1991 to 1996 and again from 2001 to 2006. She was the first female prime minister of Bangladesh and the second fema ...

. Rafiqul Abrar had called for the

Digital Security Act The Digital Security Act, 2018, was a digital security law in Bangladesh. This act was passed with the aim of preventing the spread of racism, sectarianism, extremism, terrorist propaganda, and hatred against religious or ethnic minorities throug ...

to be repealed at an event by Nagorik in April 2023. He has spoken for the rights of

Stranded Pakistanis in Bangladesh Stranded Pakistanis in Bangladesh (, , ) are East Pakistani Urdu-speaking Muhajirs who emigrated from present-day India (then part of British India), and settled in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) following the partition of India in 1947. Th ...

. He has claimed both China and the United States have almost the same policy when it comes to the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. He said the government of Bangladesh should claim responsibility of Rohingya people who flew to Saudi Arabia using Bangladeshi passports but was also critical of Saudi Arabia for pressuring Bangladesh regarding repatriating the refugees. He has written about victims of

Enforced disappearance in Bangladesh Extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances in Bangladesh refer to extrajudicial executions carried out by law enforcement agencies without due legal process and to abduction cases in which the government directly or indirectly kidnaps pe ...

. Rafiqul Abrar has been critical of the Indian politicians and medias reaction to the fall of the

Awami League The Awami League, officially known as Bangladesh Awami League, is a major List of political parties in Bangladesh, political party in Bangladesh. The oldest existing political party in the country, the party played the leading role in achievin ...

government led by Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina Sheikh Hasina (''née'' Wazed; born 28 September 1947) is a Bangladeshi politician who served as the tenth prime minister of Bangladesh from June 1996 to July 2001 and again from January 2009 to August 2024. Premiership of Sheikh Hasina, Her ...

. He described it as prejudiced.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rafiqul Abrar, Chowdhury Living people Year of birth missing (living people) University of Dhaka alumni Academic staff of the University of Dhaka Alumni of the University of Sussex Griffith University alumni Migration studies scholars Yunus interim government advisors