Centre for Peace and Justice organises memorial for former employee

The Centre for Peace and Justice of Brac University has organised a memorial event for employee Riedwan Habibur Rahman, who recently passed away.

His life was cut short by a heart attack in the early hours of 8 April this year, reads a press release.

He joined CPJ as a Research Assistant in 2018.

At the time of his sudden demise, he worked as a Research Associate under the Faith and Development Project at CPJ.

To honour Riedwan Habibur Rahman and his contributions to CPJ and BRAC University, CPJ held a memorial on Thursday (13 April) at the BRAC University Auditorium.

The event was attended by many of his family members, teachers, friends, and colleagues.

Riedwan Habibur Rahman, as a person, can be best described as "an ever-smiling man with a heart of gold," said speakers at the event.

Photo: Courtesy

Riedwan, also known as Aritro to his close ones, was born in 1996 in Faridpur.

He completed his undergraduate degree from Brac University in 2018, receiving a Bachelor of Social Science (BSS) in Anthropology. He then completed a Master of Development Studies (MDS) from the BRAC Institute of Governance and Development of the same university.

Riedwan also made substantial contributions to CPJ's administrative, communication, and field activities, adds the release.

Manzoor Hasan OBE, executive director of CPJ, announced the launching of "Riedwan Aritro Internship" programme to commemorate the moments Riedwan had shared with his colleagues at CPJ in the past four years.

Speaking about the articles Riedwan had written for numerous renowned national newspapers, Dave Dowland, registrar, BRAC University, said, "I have read some of his articles and noticed his lively interest in the latest developments in artificial intelligence (AI). He had a view on the threats and risks of AI and also an optimistic take on the opportunities of AI for human rights, peace, and justice."

Sharing her experience of working with and knowing Riedwan, Samia Huq, dean, School of General Education, and Research Fellow, Centre for Peace & Justice, BRAC University, said, "I have had the privilege of knowing Riedwan for 8 years. He was a smiling, quiet, calm, and very sweet presence in the class. He was a giver, not a taker. As his teacher, I am proud of the fact that he was also open to his own drawbacks and receiving feedback. This is a very important attribute of life-long learning and growth."

Seuty Sabur, associate professor of Anthropology, Department of Economics and Social Sciences, said, "Riedwan was a caring and driven man. He loved others wholeheartedly. He never held back. He took care of everybody he knew to the best of his abilities."

Rifat Sultana, director, HR, BRAC University said, "Riedwan's desk was placed in such a way that whoever walked into CPJ had to see him first and he was always ready to welcome anyone with a bright smile. Such is the warmth and comfort he extended."

Shahariar Sadat, director, Academic and Legal Empowerment, CPJ, said "I was very happy when gave me the news that he secured an offer from SOAS. We even sat down and talked about what the next steps would be for him last week. We will always remember him through our work and in our minds."

M Sanjeeb Hossain, director, Research, CPJ, said, "Riedwan now belongs to a realm whose doors always open unannounced. If I take the grand scheme of things into account, I know sooner or later I will be seeing Riedwan, and that thought makes me very happy."

The event was hosted by Antara Tasmeen, lead, Capacity Building, CPJ and started with a special prayer session for the deceased employee.