Virtual candlelight vigil, discussion to call for recognition of 1971 Bangladesh genocide

The International Crimes Strategy Forum or ICSF is organising a virtual candlelight vigil designed to put pressure on international community to recognise the genocide committed in Bangladesh in the early hours of Mar 26 in 1971.

It has urged all Bangladeshis across the world to light a candle or lamp live on Facebook at 12:01am on Mar 25 this year or upload photos or videos of candlelight with the hashtags #recognise1971genocide and #RecogniseBangladeshGenocide at the time.

The global call for candlelight vigil will mark Bangladesh's National Day of Genocide Commemoration on Mar 25, which precedes Mar 26 Independence Day.

Bangladesh is celebrating 50 years of independence along with the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, but the observation will be focused on commemorating the victims of the genocide on Mar 25.   

The candlelight vigil will be ahead of an online diaspora meeting where people from seven Australian cities will meet to discuss ways to take the genocide recognition campaign forward, said Rayhan Rashid, trustee of ICSF.

Besides commemorating the victims of the 1971 genocide, the discussion will focus on fixing specific programmes to get global recognition of the genocide.

The discussants will include State Minister for Foreign Minister Shahriar Alam, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal MP Shirin Akhter who placed the motion in parliament for the national recognition of the day, and Nomita Halder, a member of the National Human Rights Commission.

Mohammad Sufiur Rahman, the high commissioner of Bangladesh in Australia, Rafiqul Islam, professor emeritus at Macquarie University, Shammi Ahmed, international affairs secretary of the Awami League, and ICSF trustees Ahmed Ziauddin and Rashid will also join the discussion. 

Mohammad Alauddin, a retired faculty of The University of Queensland, will wrap up the discussion with his speech.

The participants will also observe a minute’s silence and hold a candlelight vigil while a documentary titled ‘Creed for Justice’ will also be played.

Everyone can participate in a session with their questions and views. Professor Mizanur Rahman, former chairman of NHRC, and columnist and scientist Ezaz Mamun will moderate the event to be co-organised by the ICSF and members of the Bengali diaspora in Australia.

To view or join the discussion, people need to go to the link: https://www.facebook.com/events/878750522913089/

The programme will start at 4pm Bangladesh time ( 9pm in Canberra or Sydney or Melbourne, 8pm in Brisbane, 10am in London).

The Pakistan Army swooped down on unarmed Bengalis on the night of Mar 25 in a brutal attempt to crush their struggle for autonomy and freedom.

Codenamed ‘Operation Searchlight’, it carried out genocide in the early hours of that night in Dhaka.

Bengalis retaliated with spectacular resistance and fought for nine months of Liberation War to snatch the victory on Dec 16 when occupying Pakistani forces surrendered to the allied forces backed by India.

Bangabandhu declared independence before being arrested by the Pakistani forces the same night.

Bangladesh has been demanding that the United Nations declare the day as the World Genocide Day as a sign of protest against the genocides carried out around the globe.

The United Nations, however, in September 2015, recognised Dec 9 as International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and the Prevention of this Crime.

Dec 9 is the anniversary of the adoption of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide or the ‘Genocide Convention’.