The search for accountability for the genocide in Bangladesh in 1971 needs international support, argued Drishtipat writers Jalal Alamgir & Tazreena Sajjad in Open Democracy on 9 February 2010.
Liberation War Museum
From Akku Chowdhury:
The architect of our liberation war museum
The winner with her design of the LWM design selected by the Jury Board and announced this morning. A tototal of 70 designs were submitted participated by over 700 architects. An overwhelmong number which happens to be a record breaking for any architetural design compettition. The particpants where from senior most to the junior most and all tied by the great spirit of liberation war and willing to be part of the history making. The Jury Board consisting an internalltion board including the ICOM representative were overwhelmed by the passion and richness of the design and had an incredibly difficult job to select the best suitable for LWM. The winner is a young women born in 1975 completed the design with her architect husband.
Architect Nahid Farzana and her partner Tanjim Hasan Selim are the winner architects of the LWM new building.
This has been a Victory of the Youth, Victory of Gender Equality and a solemn pledge to the Spririt of 71. This has once again proven that the younger generation is carrying on the torch of the 71 and it has not going to die with us. Friends thanks for your support and soon we will be launching the fund raising drive….need all your support for building the Museum.
The work of the museum will get started today.
Who is anti-liberation?
When Jyoti asked why worry Jamaat, I made a comment on the dilemma pro-liberation people face in dealing with religion-based parties. At that point, Rumi bhai asked a very interesting “side question” to me-
Syeed, a side question, what defines “pro-liberation” people? In 2009, what makes one pro-liberation and what makes one anti-liberation? How can one join Pro liberation club? Is the membership permanent or has to be renewed? What makes the membership null and void?
And more importantly, which camp I belong to? How do I know that or who will issue me the certificate?
It’s a recurrent question in our politics and in this post I will try to answer this from my perspective. In brief, I don’t think the definition of pro-liberation has changed much since 1971 and hence there shouldn’t be any confusion about it.
Please don’t take this as my audacity of lecturing on 1971 as many of you (and definitely Rumi bhai) are better aware of this history. I am just thinking loudly to get a hold of this issue.
Jamaat: why worry?
A few months ago, Tiktiki asked:
The debate over the sacking of Golam Azam’s son actually produces a more fundamental debate on the post war crimes trial world – i.e. how to tackle the political Islam minus the war criminals. Can someone who believes in Jamat’s ideology not serve in high ranks in our institutions? Why or why not?
The post generated 103 comments, but except for a handful, I didn’t see anyone address the question raised in the post.
This is not just UV. In the self-styled secular-progressive circle, I see an acute paucity of discussion about Jamaat-e-Islami that doesn’t begin or end with war crimes trial. In a few years, war crimes trial will have no relevance to Tiktiki’s question — hopefully we will have successfully tried the war criminals, or they’ll be dead anyway of natural causes. In fact, anyone serving in high ranks in our institutions would almost certainly be too old to be a war criminal, so the relevance of war crimes is already questionable. And yet, my progressive allies are stuck in a bizarre time warp that refuses to see this. Read more…
Bangladesh was born on 26 March, not 16 December
It was surprising how people all of a sudden greeted “Happy Birthday Bangladesh” this year!
From facebook status to SMS to emails and personal conversations, people began to greet each other on “Bangladesh’s Birthday” this year. A real-estate agent even had a big commercial printed on Prothom Alo (page 9, 16 Dec) where the headline says “today is Bangladesh’s Birthday”.
Perhaps, having a birthday for a nation adds fun to the celebration, and is catchy for the young generations. May be it is good for Azad Products, Archie’s and Hallmarks as well.
But calling 16 December the “Birthday of Bangladesh”—innocently, emotionally or unknowingly— can have a far reaching negative consequence for our history! At a time when Bangladesh is getting prepared to try the war criminals, this confusion can be detrimental to the trial of War Criminals. This post will try to answer some misconceptions about the birth of Bangladesh. Read more…
Are we prepared?
Back in December 2007, the Economist published ‘Guilty at Birth’, an article dealing with Jamaat-e-Islam’s stake in the elections (December 2008) in view of its legacy and culpability in war crimes that took place in 1971. Soon after, the editor of the Economist received a letter before action from the representatives of the Jamaat’s leader Motiur Rahman Nizami, demanding the withdrawal of the article backed up by a threat to sue the magazine. The Economist retracted the article from its online archives, replacing it with this cryptic message: Read more…
Bangladesh’s long wait for justice
On a recent visit to the capital Dhaka our reporter Katie Hamann met with families of those who were killed and others pushing for the establishment of a war crimes tribunal.
She asked them why it has taken so long and whether justice can finally be achieved.
Listen to the Podcast from the Radio Australia Interview on War crimes and its trials.
The sacking drama of Gen Fahmi
The debate over the sacking of Golam Azam’s son actually produces a more fundamental debate on the post war crimes trial world – i.e. how to tackle the political Islam minus the war criminals.
Can someone who believes in Jamat’s ideology not serve in high ranks in our institutions? Why or why not?
For those who are not aware of this issue, you can read the details here in Mukti blog:
In the absence of any official version from the government here is the sacked general’s version.
Edward Kennedy, Bangladesh, 1971
Edward Kennedy Time Magazine
[Naeem Mohaiemen, Accelerated Media & 1971, Economic & Political Weekly, 26/01/2008]
CNN: Kennedy revered in Bangladesh
Crisis in South Asia
Report to US Senate, 1971
Senator Edward Kennedy
“A traveler today in eastern India cannot help but see, smell, and feel this misery. It is etched in the faces and lives of refugees in countless ways. It is the malnourished child hanging limply in its mother’s arms – one child out of a half million who, in a matter of hours or days, can easily die from the lack of protein and adequate medical care. It is a young girl, quivering in a refugee camp in Tripura, still in a shock after seeing her mother and father slaughtered by Pakistani troops. It is a 14-year-old boy in Jalpaiguri hospital, whose face is contorted from the pain and anguish that he has experienced since he saw his family shot before his eyes and since he received a bullet wound in his spine which has paralyzed him for life. And it is the expression of hundreds of thousands of refugees living in sewer pipes on the outskirts of Calcutta, while overworked relief officials struggle to provide some food and shelter and hope for a needy and hopeless people. Read more…
Bangladesh & International Criminal Court
ICC URGES BANGLADESH TO BECOME FIRST ASIAN SIGNATORY TO ICC
Bangladesh is being targeted to be first South Asian signatory to International Criminal Court (ICC). The action is urged by the Coalition for the International Criminal Court (CICC), a global civil society network of 2,500 organizations in 150 countries that advocates for a fair, effective and independent ICC. Read more…
