Mohammad Pizuar Hossain
Impunity for Atrocities in Post-colonial Authoritarian States: Rethinking International Law’s Responses
Why is your research important?
This research is important because it interrogates why impunity for atrocity crimes—such as genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes—persists in post-colonial authoritarian contexts despite the development of international criminal law. By examining the historical and legal continuities between colonial governance, decolonisation, and contemporary authoritarian rule, the project challenges conventional assumptions about international law’s capacity to prevent and respond to mass atrocities. It advances Third World Approaches to International Law (TWAIL) by moving beyond critique to develop a framework that explains how structural legacies of colonialism shape accountability gaps. Drawing on insights from Southeast Asia, particularly Myanmar, the research broadens Global South scholarship beyond its traditional focus on Africa and contributes to more historically grounded and context-sensitive responses to international crimes.
Supervisors:
Areas of expertise:
Public International Law, International Criminal Law, International Human Rights Law, International Humanitarian Law, Constitutional Law, Genocide Studies, Cyber Security and Cyber Crimes, and Criminology