Bangladesh rally challenges Western narrative on human rights violations

By Sahidul Hasan Khokon: For freedom fighter Sheikh Fatemah Ali, now in her seventies, the Western pitch for human rights is not sensible.

“This narrative by foreign rights groups only seeks to protect the killers who perpetrated horrible atrocities on us,” stated Fatemah, who suffered unspeakable torture by the hands of Pakistani troops and their native collaborators.

Though buoyed by the victory within the Liberation War that led to the emergence of an impartial Bengali nation-state, Fatemah resented not solely the letting off of the killers of the nation’s founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman by Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) founder Gen Ziaur Rahman’s navy junta, but additionally his failure to get the conflict crimes trials began.

Only after the Sheikh Hasina authorities began the 1971 conflict crimes trials after coming to energy in January 2009, might Fatemah breathe simple.

“But I cannot understand why the UN still refuses to recognise the 1971 genocide of Bengalis by Pakistan Army and their local collaborators. This is really difficult to understand,” stated Fatemah, throughout a rally held within the capital Dhaka not too long ago.

Golam Rahman Tito’s household suffered a horrific ordeal — first by the hands of Pakistan Army collaborators, and after the nation’s independence by the hands of pro-Pakistan Opposition – BNP-Jamaat alliance. In 1971, Tito’s brother was picked up from his residence and killed by native Jamaat leaders, who sided with the Pakistan Army. The household even did not hint his physique regardless of frantic searches.

Tito misplaced his sister within the 1975 coup d’etat. His sister, eminent athlete Sultana Kamal, had married Sheikh Kamal, the eldest son of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana – the 2 surviving daughters of Mujib – misplaced 19 of their relations within the bloodbath on that fateful evening.

Much to their dismay, the killers have been embraced by subsequent governments, led by the Opposition alliance for many years. Even now, a number of the killers are offered everlasting shelter by a lot of Western nations that ceaselessly sermonise international locations like Bangladesh on human rights, in accordance with conflict heroes who joined the Dhaka rally.

The rally by victims like Tito and Fatemah, who misplaced close to and expensive ones in the course of the violence unleashed by the pro-Pakistan Islamist Opposition, introduced the main focus again on the decades-old deafening silence of some “rights groups” over sheltering of self-confessed conflict criminals and killers.

According to the audio system on the rally, human rights acts as a pretext to name into query the equity of the conflict crimes trial. This, coupled with “willful ignorance over impunity endowed by a number of Western countries through sheltering war criminals and killers of Mujib family” provides to rising proof of double requirements perpetuated by such teams.

No marvel that not less than 19 assassination makes an attempt have been made on Sheikh Hasina, now prime minister, because the West continues to harbour a number of killers.

UN “silence” over 1971 genocide

Several freedom fighters addressing the rally deplored the UN’s silent apathy that they imagine left the 1971 genocide unrecognised. Though 5 many years have elapsed, victims imagine the UN’s studied ignorance would solely embolden the perpetrators.

“It seems they are unwilling to even listen to the other side of the story — what about the 1971 Liberation War where three million Bengalis were killed and a quarter-million women were dishonoured. The UN has not yet dubbed the1971 atrocities as genocide,” stated Tarana Halim, president of Bangabandhu Sangskritik Jote.

“Deserted by my husband and family, I, with a group of others who survived the war atrocities by Pakistan Army, met Mujib at his home in Dhanmondi shortly after the country came into being. Deeply moved by the trauma, along with a distasteful approach from society that engulfed our lives, Mujib stepped forward and stood by our side. Thanks to his fatherly approach and rigorous efforts on part of his government, we started getting back to normal life. Yet within just a few years, Mujib, with his family members, was assassinated in his home,” recounted Fatemah.

Midnight massacre of 1975

Researchers believe the gruesome assassination of Mujib along with 19 members of his family on August 15, 1975 was a global conspiracy to avenge the defeat of 1971.

A teary-eyed Tito unravelled the traumatic ordeal his family had to go through for decades as the killers of his sisters were embraced by the country’s first military dictator, Gen Zia, and later by his wife Begum Khaleda Zia, who now holds the top rank in BNP.

A student of the University of Dhaka, Sultana Kamal held national records in the long jump and the 100 metres dash. But her life was cut short on August 15, 1975 when a band of disgruntled army officers stormed Mujib’s residence in Dhanmondi and gunned down as many as 19 family members, including 10-year old Sheikh Russel, the president’s youngest son.

“…My sister and all members of the family (there that night) were gunned down. What was their fault? Mujib had to pay with his life for leading a nation to independence… Why did the rights groups never speak about the rights of so many killed that night?” Tito requested on the current rally in Dhaka.

“In 1971, local collaborators with the Pakistan Army picked up my brother from his home and later murdered him… We couldn’t even locate the remains of my brother to perform his burial.”

Quite a few conflict heroes additionally pulled up the US for sermonising Bangladesh on human rights whereas on the similar time giving sanctuary to a killer of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Rashed Chowdhury, who was sentenced to loss of life for the assassination of Bangabandhu, has been residing within the US for a very long time. Another convicted assassin, Noor Chowdhury, is in neighbouring Canada, in accordance with media experiences.

Jail killings in 1975

In lower than 20 days after the assassination of Bangabandhu, 4 prime Awami League (AL) leaders have been additionally gunned down inside a jail on November 3, 1975. Khairuzzaman Liton (Rajshahi mayor)’s father Qamruzzaman was one amongst these leaders murdered within the jail together with three of his cabinet colleagues.

“After the assassination of Bangabandhu and his family members, my father alongside three other top AL leaders were ruthlessly shot dead inside prison,” Liton recalled, addressing the rally.

Following the killing spree, General Zia rose to the rank of Army Chief who would later grow to be the president of the nation, with out holding any credible election and his rise to energy set in movement the most important mockery of democracy within the newly liberated nation, in accordance with researchers.

“At the behest of General Zia, these killers broke into the prison and killed my father. From assassinating the Father of the Nation and then eliminating top AL leaders who were close associates speak of a mindset that clearly stood against the spirit of the Liberation War and plunged the country into a pit of communalism. Our rights were trampled by Zia to solidify his grip on power,” added Liton, a presidium member of AL.

Mujib killers awarded prime diplomatic missions

Lawrence Lifschultz, in ‘Bangladesh: The Unfinished Revolution’, has offered particulars of the CIA involvement whereas others have detailed the ISI participation even in selecting the day for the coup — August 15 — to specific Pakistan’s anger at Indian help for the reason for Bangladesh liberation and the breakup of Pakistan.

On July 9, 1979, General Zia used Parliament to cross the notorious ‘Indemnity Ordinance’. The black legislation was handed with the only real goal to offer a authorized defend for the infamous killers of the nation’s founding father. The ‘Indemnity Ordinance’ ensured no punishment could be meted out to the military officers who have been answerable for the killing of Bangabandhu and his household.

By piloting it via Parliament, Gen Ziaur Rahman left sufficient indication of his motive behind rewarding the Mujib killers.

Most of those killers have been appointed as senior diplomats in Bangladesh missions overseas and a few even rose to grow to be parliamentarians with full impunity.

Referring to the disgraceful inclusion of indemnity for Bangabandhu’s killers within the fifth modification of the Constitution, a lot of researchers known as that enactment “the beginning of the culture of impunity for killers in independent Bangladesh”.

Killing of conflict heroes in 1977

Ironically with General Zia on the helm of the military, an enormous effort was made to erase secularism because the core worth of Bengali nationalism.

During Zia’s regime that lasted until 1981, over 1,000 armed forces officers – lots of whom have been freedom fighters – have been hanged with none trial underneath the pretext of a purge. Families of such conflict heroes are nonetheless making an attempt to find the stays of their expensive ones. At the rally, they questioned the apparent “double standard” on a part of the so-called rights our bodies for his or her selective strategy to rights points.

Kamruzzaman Lenin, who misplaced his father in the course of the purge underneath the Zia regime, stated: “These extrajudicial killings were executed from a political viewpoint – the ideology that opposed the country’s independence. I still don’t know where my father’s remains are.”

“You can’t be selective in raising rights issues and claim your organisation is free of bias… the whole definition of human rights encompasses abuse of rights issues as a whole but being selective clearly unravels a hypocrisy,” he added.

The households turned out on the occasion underneath the banner of ‘What about our human rights?’

Victims of BNP-Jamaat violence (2001 to 2006)

Several victims of BNP-Jamaat violence throughout 2001-2006 additionally attended the occasion – demanding trial of the perpetrators, citing scores of victims because the nation witnessed communal assaults, homicide of AL activists and leaders, systematic elimination of progressive writers and liberal thinkers in the course of the time.

A survivor of the August 21, 2004 grenade assault narrated her ordeal and recounted how the then BNP-Jamaat authorities backed the killers, making a mockery of the victims’ proper to justice.

General Zia lived by sword and died by it in a coup of types, however his legacy of blood was carried ahead by his spouse, Khaleda Zia, and Tarique Rahman, particularly throughout their coalition authorities with Jamaat-e-Islami between 2001 and 2006, in accordance with media experiences.

Taking benefit of getting some highly effective overseas backing, BNP- Jamaat-led coalition unleashed not less than 19 assassination makes an attempt on Sheikh Hasina, with probably the most deadly one unfolding over the last tenure of that nexus — often called August 21 grenade assault. The assault unfolded in 2004 throughout a rally addressed by then opposition chief Sheikh Hasina, that left not less than 24 individuals useless.

Orchestrated by militants with assist from Pakistan, the attackers have been ensured protected passage from the nation to evade justice, in accordance with media experiences.

The then state minister for Home, Lutfurzzaman Babar, reportedly handpicked by Tarqiue Rahman, now put behind bars along with his boss Tarqiue, again then emerged as a prime BNP policymaker, in accordance with media experiences held conferences with the attackers.

Now working BNP as appearing chair, Tarique is main a fugitive life in London as he left the nation nearly a decade again to evade justice for his crimes, in accordance with political observers.

That August 21, 2004 was one other darkish day for democracy and within the political historical past of Bangladesh. The grenade assault was the second largest blow to the AL, the get together that led Bangladesh to independence from Pakistan in 1971, with the most important one being the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, in accordance with researchers.

Another group, comprising survivors of arson assaults throughout 2013-2015, additionally attended the occasion and known as for exemplary punishment for the attackers. They additionally referred to the selective bias of some rights our bodies as their demand for justice went unheeded for years.

Edited By:

Tirtho Banerjee

Published On:

Feb 17, 2023