Ghulam Arieff Tipoo (; 28 August 1931 – 15 March 2024) was a Bangladeshi jurist, independence activist, and language movement activist. He was the Chief Prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal, a domestic war crimes tribunal in Bangladesh set up to investigate and prosecute suspects for the

genocide Genocide is violence that targets individuals because of their membership of a group and aims at the destruction of a people. Raphael Lemkin, who first coined the term, defined genocide as "the destruction of a nation or of an ethnic group" by ...

committed during the

Bangladesh Liberation War The Bangladesh Liberation War (, ), also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, was an War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Bengali nationalism, Bengali nationalist and self-determination movement in East Pakistan, which res ...

Early life

Tipoo was born on 28 August 1931 at Kamalakantapur village of Shibganj Upazila in

Chapainawabganj Chapai Nawabganj or Chapainawabganj District () is a district of Rajshahi Division. It is located in the north-western part of Bangladesh. The north and western-part of Chapainawabganj is bounded by Malda district, Malda and Murshidabad distr ...

of the then

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

(now

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

). He was the second son among the nine children of his parents. He completed his

Secondary School Certificate Secondary School Certificate (SSC), Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) or Matriculation examination, is a public examination in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Maldives and Nepal conducted by educational boards for the successful completi ...

from Kaliachar school in 1948 and

Higher Secondary School Certificate Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC), Higher Secondary School Certificate, Higher Secondary Education Certificate (HSEC) or Intermediate Examination is a secondary education qualification in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. It is equivalent to the f ...

from

Rajshahi College Rajshahi College (Bengali language, Bengali: রাজশাহী কলেজ) is a public college, public educational institution in Rajshahi, Bangladesh. Established in 1873, it is the third oldest college in Bangladesh after Dhaka College a ...

in 1950. He graduated from the same college in 1952. He earned his post-graduate degree from

Dhaka University The University of Dhaka (), also known as Dhaka University (DU), is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Established in 1921, it is the oldest active university in the country. The University of Dhaka was founded in 1921 ...

. He was the General Secretary of the

Bangladesh Students Union Bangladesh Students' Union (, abbreviated as BSU) is a left-wing student organization in Bangladesh. The organization was established on 26 April 1952. The organization is the mass organization of Communist Party of Bangladesh. During the In ...

from 1954 to 1956.

Career

Tipoo started his career as a

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

in 1958. He served as the President of '' Rajshahi Advocate Bar Association''. He was one of the senate and syndicate members of

Rajshahi University The University of Rajshahi (), also known as Rajshahi University (RU), is a Public university, public research university located in Rajshahi, Bangladesh. It is the second oldest and third largest university in Bangladesh. The university's 59 ...

. He was also on the committee of

Bangladesh Bar Council Bangladesh Bar Council () is a statutory autonomous body in Bangladesh, established under the Legal Practitioners and the Bar Council Order, 1972. It is the licensing and Regulatory body for lawyers in Bangladesh. The Bangladesh Bar Council ensu ...

. Tipoo fought in the Bangladesh Liberation War. The 1952 Language Movement in the

Rajshahi Rajshahi (, ) is a metropolis, metropolitan city and a major Urban area, urban, administrative, commercial and educational centre of Bangladesh. It is also the administrative seat of the eponymous Rajshahi Division, division and Rajshahi Distr ...

area was organized mainly under his leadership. He was the joint convener of

Rastrabhasa Sangram Parishad The Rashtrabhasha Sangram Parishad (''National Language Action Committee'') was an organisation founded by Bengali politicians and intellectuals to agitate for the recognition of the Bengali language by the Government of Pakistan. It was establishe ...

in that area. In recognition of his contribution to the

Bengali language movement The Bengali language movement was a political movement in East Bengal (modern-day Bangladesh) in 1952, advocating the recognition of the Bengali language as a co-lingua franca of the then-Dominion of Pakistan to allow its use in government ...

, the

government of Bangladesh The government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh () is the central government of Bangladesh. The government was constituted by the Constitution of Bangladesh comprising the executive (the president, prime minister and cabinet), the ...

awarded him the country's second highest civilian award, the

Ekushey Padak Ekushey Padak () is the second highest civilian award in Bangladesh, introduced in memory of martyrs of the Bengali language movement of 1952. The award is given to recognize contributions in a number of fields, including culture, education, and e ...

in 2019. Tipoo was appointed the Chief Prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal in 2010.

Personal life

Tipoo was married to Jahan Ara Chowdhury Lui; the couple had three daughters and one son.

Death

Tipoo died on 15 March 2024, at the age of 92.ICT Chief Prosecutor Ghulam Arieff Tipoo passes away
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tipoo, Ghulam Arieff 1931 births 2024 deaths People from Shibganj Upazila, Chapai Nawabganj University of Dhaka alumni Rajshahi College alumni Bengali language movement activists Recipients of the Ekushey Padak Bangladeshi jurists