Category: Commentary
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Jahanara Imam and the Politics of Historical Memory
On 27 June 2026, the anniversary of Jahanara Imam’s death, Zayed Hasan Joha, the Cultural Affairs Secretary of the Rajshahi University Central Students’ Union elected from a panel backed by Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir, referred to Jahanara Imam on Facebook as the “Imam of Hell” (“Jahannamer Imam”) and claimed that her campaign demanding the trial…
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Justice for Prova: Sixteen Years Later, We are Still Punishing The Victim
Sixteen years ago, the non-consensual circulation of intimate content involving Sadia Jahan Prova became one of the most widely discussed media events in Bangladesh. Sixteen years later, she is still being asked to carry its consequences. Listening to Prova’s recent video, what stands out is not anger, but exhaustion. The exhaustion of having to repeatedly…
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Why Do People Think A Victim’s Identity Is Public Property?
People are angry over the rape of 8-year-old Ramisa, and they should be. Cases like this expose the sexual violence, brutality, misogyny, and systemic failures that continue to shape the lives of women and girls in Bangladesh, but every single time something like this happens, people immediately begin circulating the victim’s photographs everywhere without hesitation,…