US-based Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention has recognised the killing of Bangladeshis during 1971 War of Independence as genocide.
The recognition comes after Touhid Reza Noor, the son of martyred journalist Serajuddin Hossain, filed a petition on November 15.
A law professor working with the organization Irene Victoria Masimmino, informed Noor of the recognition on January 1.
Expressing his delight in a statement, Noor said, “For those on the side of the Liberation War, it is a great achievement to close out the golden jubilee of our independence.”
He added that he believes it will encourage other international human rights organizations to recognize the 1971 genocide.
On March 25, 1971, Pakistani forces launched ‘Operation Searchlight’ attacking unarmed Bangladeshis in an attempt to foil the movement for liberation.
The massacre prompted the nine-month Liberation War and the killing of three million Bangladeshis.