Left-leaning student groups condemn inclusion of war criminals in parliament’s condolence motion

Student leaders say the move “betrays” the Liberation War martyrs, honouring war criminals instead

A faction of the Bangladesh Students’ Union and the Socialist Students Front have condemned the inclusion of convicted war criminals in a condolence motion during the first session of the 13th Parliament.

In a joint statement on Thursday, Mahir Shahriar Reza and Bahauddin Shubho, president and general secretary of a faction of Bangladesh Students’ Union, said the motion amounted to a “betrayal” of the three million martyrs of the 1971 Liberation War.

They criticised the move, saying that instead of honouring those killed in the war, the parliament honoured the perpetrators.

The leaders alleged that the BNP had agreed to the move despite claiming to represent pro-Liberation War forces.

According to the statement, the decision reflected what they described as the party’s “old policy” of aligning with war criminals.

They warned that any attempt to undermine the legacy of the Liberation War would be answered by the public.

During Thursday’s parliamentary session, the condolence motion included the names of politicians who had been convicted of war crimes, including Motiur Rahman Nizami, Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid, Delwar Hossain Sayeedi, and Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury.

In a separate statement, the Socialist Students Front President Mukta Baroi and General Secretary Raihan Uddin also criticised the move, saying it signalled that parliament was unwilling to respect the public mandate and aspirations.

They demanded that the names of the “Razakars” be immediately expunged from the condolence motion.