Dr. Md Mustakimur Rahman

Dr. Mustakimur Rahman is an Associate Professor and the Chairman of the Department of Law at Notre Dame University Bangladesh. He has recently completed his doctoral degree at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, ranked 36th in the QS World University Rankings and 44th in the Times Higher Education (THE) World Ranking for 2025. Before pursuing his doctoral studies, Dr. Rahman was a faculty member in the Department of Law at Notre Dame University Bangladesh from 2016 to 2024. In 2019, he received a CICOPS Research Fellowship, enabling him to collaborate with Professor Cristina Campiglio at the University of Pavia, Italy, where he analyzed the relationship between domestic and hybrid international criminal courts in Bangladesh and East Timor. That same year, he also visited Philipps-University Marburg in Germany to present his scholarly agenda.

Before his tenure at Notre Dame University Bangladesh, Mr. Rahman worked as a research assistant for Professor Shaheen Malik, the former Director of the Bangladesh Institute of Law and International Affairs, from January 2015 to April 2016. He holds an LL.M. in Public International Law (2013) and an LL. B (Hons, 2012) from Nottingham Trent University in the UK. Additionally, he earned a Foundation Degree in Arts (2010) from New College Nottingham, where he was honored with the Best International Student Award. While in England, he also contributed as a General Adviser at the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Refugee Forum (NNRF).

Research and Teaching Interests:
1. International Criminal Law
2. Public International Law
3. International Human Rights Law
4. Domestic Criminal Law & Criminology
5. History and Theory of Criminal Law
6. Tort Law

Working papers and publications:

Peer-reviewed Journals:
1. Md. Mustakimur Rahman, Prosecution of Suspects of Atrocity Crimes Committed During the Liberation War of Bangladesh Through the “Functional Participation” Theory Derived from the Demjanjuk Case in Munich (2023) 4(2) Journal of International Criminal Law, Iran
2. Md. Mustakimur Rahman, Has the International Crimes Tribunal Bangladesh (ICT-BD) assisted to Reconcile Society? (2023) 19(2) Acta Universitatis Danubius. Juridica, Romania
3. Md. Mustakimur Rahman & Mohsina Hossain Tushi, An Assessment of the ‘Lawfulness’ of Use of Force as Dispute Settlement Method (2019) 6(1) Brawijaya Law Journal: Journal of Legal Studies, Indonesia
4. Md. Mustakimur Rahman, Fundamental Rights in Times of Emergency: Ataur Rahman Vs Muhibur Rahman (2018) 5(1) Brawijaya Law Journal: Journal of Legal Studies, Indonesia
5. Md. Mustakimur Rahman, Existing Paradox in the Nationality Status of Biharis in Bangladesh: An Appraisal ‘Marital Rape’ in Marriage: The Need for Reform in Bangladesh (2015) 15 (1&2) Bangladesh Journal of Law, Bangladesh
6. Md. Mustakimur Rahman, Nuremberg Tribunal to the International Crimes Tribunal Bangladesh: A Critical Exploration of the ICT-BD (2016) 2 Journal of Centre for Criminal Law and Justice, Institute of Law, Nirma University, India

Non-Peer Reviewed Journal
1. Md. Mustakimur Rahman & Mohsina Hossain Tushi, Transnational Crime in South and South-East Asia: A Route of Labour Trafficking from Bangladesh to Malaysia (2016) XVI, Journal of the Judicial Administration Training Institute, Bangladesh

Seminar Book
1. Md. Mustakimur Rahman, Appointment and Removal of the High Court Judges of Bangladesh: A Comparative Study with India and Pakistan, in Md Mustakimur Rahman et el. Law, Court & Politics: Re-Negotiating Global and National Perspectives (India: Bankura University 2018)

Book Review
1. Md. Mustakimur Rahman, Darryl Robinson, Justice in Extreme Cases: Criminal Law Theory Meets International Criminal Law, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge: 2020, pp. 326 (2021) Polish Yearbook of International Law, Poland

Other Publications
1. Camille Raillon, Mustakimur Rahman, Victor Paul, Sandra Joseph, George Thadalthil and Senevithna Mahakam, Schooling in the Slums of India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh (France: International Federation of Catholic Universities 2018)
2. A contributor to the book titled “Equality of Opportunity for Sexual and Gender Minorities” Edited by Christian De la Medina Soto, Clifton Cortez, and John Arzinos. This book was published in 2021 by the World Bank:
https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/entities/publication/044a2ade-a8f1-5461-ba34-74613678945a
3. A contributor to the book titled “Equality of Opportunity for Sexual and Gender Minorities 2024 (EQOSOGI 2)”. This book has been published in 2024 by the World Bank: https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/equality-of-opportunity-for-sexual-and-gender-minorities

Papers Delivered:
Oral presentation
1. Md Mustakimur Rahman, “Prosecution of Aged Defendants for Committing Historical Atrocity Crimes” (May 10, 2024) 17th Annual McGill Law Graduate Conference, McGill University, Canada
2. Md Mustakimur Rahman, “A New Paradigm for Temporally Distant International Crimes? The John Demjanjuk Trial and the Circumstantial Evidence Model” (May 7, 2021) 14th Annual McGill Law Graduate Conference, McGill University, Canada
3. Md Mustakimur Rahman, “Legal responsibilities of citizens in times of the Corona pandemic: A Bangladesh perspective” (Aug. 17, 2020) Indian Society for Legal Research [ISLR], India
4. Md Mustakimur Rahman, “Transitional Justice Trials in Bangladesh and East Timor: A Comparative Study Between Domestic and Hybrid Tribunal” (May 27, 2019) University of Pavia, Italy
5. Md Mustakimur Rahman, “Transitional Justice Trial in Bangladesh: A Comparative study with East Timor & Cambodia” (Feb. 9, 2019) University of Marburg, Germany
6. Md Mustakimur Rahman, “Appointment and Removal of the High Court Judges of Bangladesh: A Comparative Study with India and Pakistan” (Jan. 18, 2018) Department of Law, Bankura University, West Bengal, India
7. Md Mustakimur Rahman, “A Comparative Budgetary Study of Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs and the Ministry of Fisheries and Animal Resources” (May 14, 2016) Bangladesh Institute of Law and International Affairs, Bangladesh
8. Md Mustakimur Rahman, “Transnational Crime in South and South-East Asia: A Route of Labor Trafficking from Bangladesh to Malaysia” (Mar. 16, 2016) Charles Darwin University, Australia

Education:
1. PhD in Law – The Chinese University of Hong Kong, HK (2025)
2. LL.M in Public International Law – Nottingham Trent University, UK, (2013)
3. Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) – Nottingham Trent University, UK, (2012)
4. Foundation Degree in Arts – New College Nottingham, UK, (2010)

Scholarships & Awards:
1. PhD scholarship (full), The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2020
2. CICOPS Fellowship Award, University of Pavia, Italy, 2018/19.
3. MID-C Travel Allowance Scholarship, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Germany, 2018.
4. International Student Scholarship, Nottingham Trent University, UK, 2012.
5. International Student Scholarship, Nottingham Trent University, UK, 2010.
6. Best International Student Award, New College Nottingham, UK, 2010.