Bangladesh to press on with global anti-genocide campaign

The foreign minister has said Bangladesh will continue campaigning against genocide in the world as part of its foreign policy pursuits.

“We strongly believe that the messages of prevention, prosecution and memorialisation of genocides need to be resonated through all regions and continents,” AH Mahmood Ali said on Friday, inaugurating an international conference.

The Liberation War Museum organised the 5th international Genocide Conference, first after Bangladesh parliament unanimously adopted a resolution to observe Mar 25 as the National Genocide Day.

The government has also been seeking support from the international community for the global recognition of the genocide carried out by the Pakistan Army in 1971.

International experts on genocide have joined the conference in Dhaka.

The foreign minister said as part of its foreign policy pursuits, “Bangladesh would remain invested in doing its part in the Asia Pacific context, and in the world stage in general to drive home the message of ‘never, never and never again’ in relation to genocides and mass atrocity crimes.”

Ali said remembering the victims of genocide and the crimes committed in the past “must contribute to our understanding of the present and guide our actions in the future”.

“We have a duty to remember - this is a social, moral and ethical imperative,” he said.

“Acknowledging past genocides, addressing the consequences and fulfilling the rights of the victims not only dignifies the victims, it also represents our willingness not to let these crimes be repeated."

The foreign minister highlighted the ongoing war crimes trials and said, through this, a “new paradigm” in international criminal justice system has been established.

“The entire nation has today heaved a sigh of relief that the main perpetrators have now been brought to justice and dealt with accordingly:”

He also highlighted the global recognition that the tribunals trying war criminals received, particularly a 2014 European Parliament resolution that said: “Despite its considerable shortcomings, the International Crimes Tribunal has played an important role in providing redress and closure for victims of and those affected by the Bangladeshi war of independence.”

A roundtable on how ‘dealing with the past’ can contribute to preventing the recurrence of atrocities: What can and should we do?’ will also be held during the conference.