The Ganatantrik Jukta Front has strongly condemned the inclusion of individuals convicted of crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War in the condolence motion of the first session of the 13th National Parliament.
The organization has demanded the immediate removal of the names of convicted war criminals from the parliamentary condolence motion.
In a statement sent to the media on Friday, the front’s leaders expressed outrage over what they described as “shameful incidents” on the first day of the 13th National Parliament session on Thursday. They called the move a blatant betrayal of the Liberation War, national dignity, and the sacrifices of three million martyrs.
The leaders said that the condolence motion included the names of members of the Al-Badr and Razakar forces, as well as individuals convicted of war crimes. They criticised the chief whip of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) for proposing the names of convicted war criminals, describing the act as “deeply shameful” and inconsistent with the party’s historical invocation of the Liberation War to win public support.
“The parliament is the highest legislative body of independent Bangladesh, established through the sacrifice of countless martyrs,” the statement read. “Expressing condolences for the killers of those martyrs in parliament is tantamount to standing against the spirit of the Liberation War. It is a disgraceful act against history, the sacrifices of three million martyrs, and the very existence of the nation.”
The front also alleged that some anti-liberation representatives showed “extreme disregard” for the national anthem by hesitating to stand during its playing in parliament, describing such behavior as tantamount to treason. “Those who collaborated with the Pakistani occupation forces in 1971 continue to demonstrate the same character while sitting in parliament,” the leaders said.
The statement further criticized the inclusion of ATM Azharul Islam, sentenced to death for crimes against humanity, as one of the five members of the parliamentary presidium panel. According to the front, placing a convicted individual in such an honorable parliamentary position undermines the dignity of the institution and constitutes an insult to the martyrs of the Liberation War.
The leaders also highlighted the July–August movement of 2024, which they said was carried out against discrimination and fascist misrule—not to rehabilitate the perpetrators of the Liberation War. “The young generation who took to the streets during that uprising did not fight to witness the rehabilitation of collaborators,” the statement added.
