Barrister Abdur Razzaq dies in Dhaka at 76

Staff Reporter:
Barrister Abdur Razzaq, a senior lawyer of the Supreme Court and a prominent figure in the country’s legal and political landscape, passed away on Sunday afternoon while undergoing treatment at Ibn Sina Hospital in the capital. He was 76.
The news of his death was confirmed by Supreme Court lawyer Shishir Monir, who also served as the former Secretary General of Islami Chhatra Shibir. In a solemn Facebook post, Monir wrote, “Our respected senior, Barrister Abdur Razzaq, is no more.”
Razzaq leaves behind two sons and a daughter.
Once a central figure in the leadership of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Razzaq held the position of assistant secretary General before stepping down in 2019. He later served as the Chief Adviser of the Amar Bangladesh (AB) Party, a political platform that emerged from the ideological reorientation of some former Jamaat leaders.
He was perhaps most widely known to the public as the chief defence counsel at the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), where he represented several accused individuals charged with crimes against humanity committed during the 1971 Liberation War. His role at the ICT drew intense national attention and underscored his deep involvement in the legal battles that marked a significant chapter in Bangladesh’s contemporary history.
Razzaq had been battling prostate cancer since 2020. As his condition worsened, he was admitted to a hospital in London in September 2024. It was during this period that he tendered his resignation from the AB Party’s advisory position. He returned to Bangladesh in the last week of December 2024 and had remained in the country since.
Born in the Bianibazar upazila of Sylhet, Abdur Razzaq pursued a distinguished legal career both at home and abroad. A barrister trained in the UK, he was among the most prominent Islamist lawyers in the country, often navigating the fraught intersections of law, religion, and politics.
The final rites for Razzaq began Sunday night with a namaz-e-janaza held at Taqwa Masjid in Dhanmondi at 8:30 p.m. A second janaza was scheduled for Monday at 11:00 a.m. on the Supreme Court premises — a fitting farewell for a man whose life was deeply tied to the nation’s highest court.
Ends/Jakir