Rehabilitating AL before trial would be betrayal to July martyrs' blood: Hasnat
Rehabilitating Awami League before ensuring justice for their crimes would be a betrayal to the blood of July uprising martyrs, said Hasnat Abdullah, convener of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement.
Speaking at a rally in the capital's Suhrawardy Udyan today (10 December), he said, "Before the blood of our martyrs even dried, some elders have been talking about forgiving the Awami League and bringing them back to elections."
A mass gathering is underway at the Suhrawardy Udyan to mark International Human Rights Day, organised by Mayer Daak, a platform representing families of individuals who were victims of enforced disappearances allegedly carried out by government agencies during the Awami League's tenure.
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The event, which started in the afternoon, has brought together families of victims of enforced disappearances and killings, as well as leaders from political parties, including BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami.
Referring to Hasina as a "paid employee of India," Hasnat alleged, "India's directives led them to kill religious scholars. They are now sheltering murderers. If this continues, India might turn into a safe haven for criminals."
Hasnat further said, "Throughout history, no country has seen politicians, civil society, poets, writers, journalists, professionals, or actors justifying fascists. We need to identify who sheltered the murderers in the cantonments, who ordered police to shoot at students, and break the pens of journalists who sided with the fascist Awami League."
Khokon Chandra Barman, a survivor of the student-led uprising, shared his ordeal and said, "This is not just about what they did to my face. Someone near me was shot in the face, and the bullet pierced through one side and exited the other. It's difficult for me to speak now, but I must. We all need to stay united. If we stand together, [former prime minister Sheikh] Hasina cannot harm us. I demand severe punishment for Hasina—I demand her execution."
BNP Joint Secretary General Shahiduddin Chowdhury Annie said, "For the past 15–16 years, and even since 1971, the Awami League has lacked popular support. They have come to power with India's assistance, and their conspiracies are still ongoing. Efforts to sabotage national unity are evident."
Earlier in the day, families of those injured and killed in the July-August mass uprising, which led to the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government on 5 August, brought out a "Rickshaw Michhil" under the banner of Warriors of July.
The procession started in front of the National Museum at Shahbagh and joined the rally at Suhrawardy Udyan.
The events were organised on the occasion of International Human Rights Day, which is being observed today in Bangladesh like elsewhere in the world in a befitting manner with the theme "Our Rights, Our Future, Right Now".
Different organisations and human rights campaigners have also chalked out elaborate programmes marking the day.
