Realising the spirit of Liberation War

WITH the participation of 40 students and professionals including journalists, media personalities and lawyers, Liberation War Museum's (LWM) Center for the Study of Genocide and Justice (CSGJ)  organised its first winter school on “genocide and justice” from December 18-25, 2014 at Proshika, Manikganj.   Resource persons in the school included numbers of faculties of law, history and social science from Australia and Bangladesh; Chief Instigation Officer and Prosecutors of International Crimes Tribunal-Bangladesh (ICT-BD); former Chief of Public Affairs, and Victim Support Section in the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, and others.

Throughout the school, the participants worked together to draft, adopt and declare a memorandum of common intention to spread out and realise the ideals of 1971 liberation war, to create mass awareness for the prevention of genocide and advocacy for justice, and to uphold the dignity and recognise the sacrifice of all Beerangonas (war heroines) and freedom fighters from generation to generation.

Four important commitments have been made by the participants in the school are: promotion and dissemination of liberation war history, research and education nationally and internationally; full-fledged assistance to the ICT-BD trial; innovation of new technology for extending the message of liberation war to the mass people; and upholding dignity, rights and recognition of all Beerangonas, children of war and freedom fighters.

 Among different activities, the participants visited language martyr Shahid Rafiq's village in Manikganj called Paril to find out and know about historical importance of liberation war. The participants also watched one research based stage-play commemorating the sacrifice of the Beerangonas titled Bideho directed by Lucky Enam. The most significant activity was the Non-Judicial Hearing where the participants group-wise performed the roles of Commission, Victims, Prosecutors, Defense Counsels, and Civil Parties.

Seeing through the lens of transitional justice prospect, the participants stressed that reconciliation and peace is not possible without ensuring justice to the victims of 1971. Likewise, trauma and suffering of the Beerangnas and generation of brave martyrs cannot be healed without effective reparation towards restoring solidarity and rebuilding our nation. The school concluded with the motivation to strengthen the existing justice process and initiate a truth justice and reconciliation mechanism in Bangladesh to address its forgotten genocide and ensure justice.

The closing ceremony was honored with the presence of sculptor Ferdousi Priyobhashini, Professor Dr. Muhammed Zafar Iqbal, and Dr. Sarwar Ali (Trustee, LWM). Among others, Mofidul Hoque (Director, CSGJ, and Trustee, LWM), Umme Wara (Coordinator, CSGJ and Lecturer of Criminology, Dhaka University), were present to coordinate the whole course.  All the participants were given certificates upon the completion of the program and Emraan Azad from Dhaka University was awarded for academic excellence, while Sheikh Raisul Islam from Chittagong University was awarded for best performance.

THE WRITERS ARE THE LAW GRADUATES FROM UNIVERSITY OF DHAKA AND EASTERN UNIVERSITY RESPECTIVELY.