Won’t allow Awami League in polls before genocide trial: Sarjis

The Awami League (AL) will not be allowed to contest in the national election before the completion of its genocide trial, Sarjis Alam, general secretary of July Shaheed Smrity Foundation, said today (19 November). 

Taking to social media, he wrote in a Facebook post, "There will be a second revolution if necessary."

A few hours earlier, Hasnat Abdullah, the convenor of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, also posted on Facebook about the AL.

"Those who take initiatives to rehabilitate the Awami League will be marked by history as enemies of the nation," wrote Hasnat.

Later at an event, Hasnat reiterated his message saying the time for discussing whether the Awami League should return or not has not yet come. 

"Until justice is ensured against the Awami League, any discussion about their rehabilitation is irrelevant. Justice must come first," he said at a discussion organised by BENAR News, Bangladesh, at the National Museum in Dhaka.

He also accused the parties of engaging in a "politics of compromise" and attempting to rehabilitate the Awami League.

He also expressed regret that the interim government was expected to be driven by "revolutionary spirit" but has been infiltrated by "constitutional bureaucracy".

"We believe we have been betrayed by our elders. Those who were our guardians have deceived us. Even within this constitutional framework, they delayed rehabilitating the families of martyrs and the injured," he said. 

The two student leaders' statements came a day after Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus told India's The Hindu in an interview that he had no issues with AL contesting the polls.

"We didn't want to take decisions about the political party, and the BNP has done that, saying that all political parties must contest elections. So they already made the verdict, and we cannot defy the opinion of a major party of the country," Yunus had said.

The International Crimes Tribunal one Monday granted one month to its investigation agency to complete its probe in cases filed over the genocide and crimes against humanity committed during the revolution that toppled the AL government in July-August this year, against ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and 45 others.

The tribunal also sent 13 accused, including senior leaders of Awami League and ally parties, out of 46 in two cases to jail after they were produced before it.