A Rohingya lawyer and politician from Maungdaw, Arakan, who was elected for the Maungdaw-2 constituency in the 1990 general election as a central leader of the National Democratic Party for Human Rights (NDPHR), one of only four Rohingya MPs to win seats. A Higher Grade Pleader, he gave legal support to Rohingya facing discrimination and denial of citizenship, and called for their recognition as an ethnic group of Myanmar. After the NDPHR was banned in 1992 he was arrested, tortured and sentenced to five years in prison.
Sources
Rohingyas reject the NVC process in Maungdaw - Kaladan Press NetworkArakan: News and Analysis of the Arakan Rohingya National Organisation, September 20091990 Multi-Party Democracy General Elections and The Rohingyas' Enfranchisement - The Stateless RohingyaImpact International, 1991Transnational Institute – Arakan (Rakhine State), Martin Smith, December 2019.
A symbol of lawful resistance
Fazal Ahmed is a prominent Rohingya lawyer and former politician from Maungdaw, Arakan. As a senior member and central leader of the National Democratic Party for Human Rights (NDPHR), he was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP-elect) for the Maungdaw-2 constituency in the 1990 general election, becoming one of only four Rohingya MPs to win seats.
Ahmed devoted his professional life to pursuing equality and justice, serving in government offices before qualifying as a Higher Grade Pleader (HGP) and practicing law in Maungdaw. He provided legal support to Rohingya citizens facing discrimination and citizenship denials. As a parliamentarian-elect, he worked to promote the recognition of the Rohingya as an ethnic group of Myanmar and demanded the restoration of their citizenship rights. He advocated for peaceful coexistence between Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims.
After the NDPHR was banned in 1992, Fazal Ahmed was arrested, tortured, and sentenced to five years in prison, part of a broader campaign to silence Rohingya democratic representation. He remains a symbol of lawful resistance.
