Make challenging Liberation War facts criminal offence

Anti-war criminal platform Ekatturer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee yesterday called for a new law to try people who challenge the historical facts of the Liberation War of 1971.

It also demanded another law to compensate the victims of the Liberation War.

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Last week, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia said there were controversies over how many people were martyred in the Liberation War.

In a paper, researcher and writer Shahriar Kabir placed eight demands at Dhaka Reporters Unity on behalf of the platform.

The demands include trying political organisations for 1971 crimes, giving citizenships to war children living abroad, if they show interest, and declaring March 25 as "Genocide Day".

"The Liberation War Denial Crimes Act can be modelled after the laws that exist in 14 European countries. The laws are against holocaust denial," said Shahirar.

About a "Liberation War Victims' Compensation Act", Shahriar said the government must ask Pakistan to compensate the 1971 victims.

The provision for confiscating all properties and assets of war criminals must be incorporated in the law to compensate the victims, he said.

"The government should also bring to book those who had evicted martyrs' families and stopped freedom fighters' allowance during the regimes of anti-liberation forces in Bangladesh," he said.

Monowara Clark, a war child living in Canada, who was present at the programme, said, "Pakistan must seek apology." She added that she would be honoured to have the citizenship of Bangladesh.

Freedom fighter Ferdousi Priyobhasini spoke on behalf of the rape victims of the war, while Shyamoli Nasrin Chowdhury, wife of martyred intellectual Alim Chowdhury, represented the victims' families.

Referring to BNP chief Khaleda Zia and her party leader Goyeshwar Roy's remarks about the number of martyrs and contribution of martyred intellectuals, historian Prof Muntasir Mamoon said, "This is not politics, this is filth." Former Supreme Court judge AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury Manik and International Crimes Tribunal prosecutor Tureen Afroz were also present.