Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Anisul Huq on Wednesday said that the upcoming general elections would be held free, fair and peaceful and people would vote the ruling Awami League again.
"People know where their interest lies. They'll vote none other than Sheikh Hasina," he said at a discussion titled "Brutalities of 1975: Impact on human rights and governance discourse of Bangladesh" held at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka.
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam, former chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission Prof Mizanur Rahman, member of the parliament Naheed Ezaher Khan, and Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen also spoke.
Representatives of Dhaka based diplomatic missions were also present.
The law minister said that the Indemnity Act was enacted after the assassination of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on August 15 in 1975.
"But at that time no one raised questions about humanity. Our four national leaders were also killed in prison. There was a grenade attack in 2004. At that time, Begum Khaleda Zia joked, 'Sheikh Hasina carried a bomb in a vanity bag'. But investigation revealed that his son Tareq Rahman was involved in this incident. 21 leaders and activists of Awami League were killed in the grenade attack. No one raised the issue of violation of humanity in those attacks and killings," he said.
Dr Momen said, after the assassination of Bangabandhu, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was forced to go into exile from 1975-81.
"There has never been such an assassination in the world, where the entire family of a statesman has been killed. The assassins wanted to kill not only Bangabandhu, but Bangladesh itself."
He said that BNP-Jatiya Party destroyed the democratic process of Bangladesh during 1975-90.
"They prevented Bangabandhu's murder trial through the Indemnity Act. But no one raised the question of violation of humanity. Now Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is working to establish humanity and justice. We don't want any more grenade attack, bomb attack in Bangladesh. Let's join hands and build Bangladesh of peace and prosperity," he said.
State Minister Shahriar Alam said that the culture of impunity was established after Bangabandhu's murder. However, after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina came to power for the first time in 1996, she ended the culture of impunity.
He said it is Sheikh Hasina who ratified all international human rights instruments during her first tenure between 1996 and 2001.
He said BNP killed 20,000 people in the name of operation clean heart and gave impunity.
"All those killings and impunity had a long-lasting impact in the governance system of Bangladesh," he said.
