South Asian Policy Initiative
South Asian Policy Initiative(SAPI) is a transnational research-based think-tank promoting research and policies that strengthen human rights and democracy in the South and Southeast Asian region. It is led by Bangladeshi pro-opposition figure and Amardesh newspaper editor Mahmudur Rahman.[1]
The think tank is registered and headquartered in Australia.[2]
Aims[edit]
The primary focus of SAPI is to undertake policy-relevant research and analysis that informs and influences decision-making processes related with human rights and democracy in the South Asian and Southeast Asian region.[2]
Activities[edit]
On September 10, 2023, a cultural vigil was organised by the South Asian Policy Initiative (SAPI) and Global Voice for Humanity to commemorate the United Nations International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearance (August 30). The event was held at Campbelltown Civic Hall and featured the testimonies of families of victims of enforced disappearances in Bangladesh, including Tahsina Rushdi Luna, the wife of a prominent disappeared leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Ilias Ali, and Tahera Tasneem, sister of Barrister Mir Ahmad Bin Quasem. Other notable speakers included SAPI chairman Mahmudur Rahman and Pinaki Bhattacharya, an exiled Bangladeshi political analyst.[3]
Earlier in 2022, SAPI organised a campaign and rally in front of the NSW parliament house on occasion of International Day of Victims of Enforced Disappearance, in presence of First Nation Representatives, and lead speaker senator David Shoebridge, a leader of the Australian Greens.[4][5]
On June 26, 2023, SAPI organised a webinar to mark the United Nations’ International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, which featured a keynote speech titled “Standing up for the victims of torture” by Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman, a prominent human rights defender and Program Coordinator at the Asian Legal Resources Centre.[6]
In October 2023, SAPI published a report titled "Bangladesh Awami League: A Case Study of its Militant Politics and Crimes Against Humanity," which documented the extensive history of violent political crimes committed through direct involvement of affiliated organizations, individual leaders and policymakers associated with ruling political party Bangladesh Awami League.[7] In December 2023, SAPI released a video documentary on Awami League corruption titled "Thieves of Dhaka."[8]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "People – South Asian Policy Initiatives". South Asian Policy Inititave. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ a b "About – South Asian Policy Initiatives". Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ "Cultural vigil in Sydney pays tribute to victims in Bangladesh". AMUST. 14 September 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ "Sydney campaign against enforced disappearance". AMUST. 19 August 2022. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
- ^ "Victims of enforced disappearance remembered in Sydney". New Age | The Most Popular Outspoken English Daily in Bangladesh. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
- ^ "South Asian Policy Initiative (SAPI) conducts webinar on International Day in Support of Victims of Torture - 5News Australia". 5news. 20 July 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ "Bangladesh Awami League: A Case Study of its Militant Politics and Crimes Against Humanity". South Asia Journal. 8 October 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ "The Thieves of Dhaka : A Tale of Grand Corruption in Bangladesh – South Asian Policy Initiatives". SAPI website. SAPI. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
External links[edit]