The Baloch Long March is being orgainsed by the Baloch people who have called for an end to state terrorism and massacres in Balochistan….reports Asian Lite News
The Balochistan Yakjehti Committee’s extensive march protesting the alleged Balochi genocide has departed from Dera Ghazi Khan and is presently on its way to Taunsa Sharif.
The Balochistan Yakjehti committee shared images and videos of people taking part in the ongoing long march en route to Taunsa Sharif.
While sharing the videos and images on X, the Balochistan Yakjehti Committee wrote, “The caravan of the ongoing long march against the Baloch genocide has left Dera Ghazi Khan, the next stop will be Taunsa Sharif!
Mehrang Baloch, a political worker, said that their long march has left from Dera Ghazi Khan. She urged people of Dera Ghazi Khan, Taunsa and Dera Ismail Khan to participate in the march.
In a post on X, Mehrang Baloch wrote, “Despite all the threats and conspiracies of the state, our long march has now left from DG Khan, we strongly appeal to the people of DG Khan, Taunsa and DI Khan to be a part of this caravan in maximum numbers. No power in the world can defeat people power.”
ریاست کے تمام تر دھمکیوں اور سازشوں کے باوجود ہمارا لانگ مارچ اس وقت ڈی جی خان سے روانہ ہوچکا ہے، ہم ڈی جی خان، تونسہ اور ڈی آئی خان کے عوام سے پُرزور اپیل کرتے ہیں کہ وہ زیادہ سے زیادہ تعداد میں اس کاروان کا حصہ بنے۔ عوامی طاقت کو دنیا کی کوئی بھی طاقت شکست نہیں دے سکتا ہے۔ pic.twitter.com/75TgPCqpTE
Earlier, the Balochistan Yakjehti Committee said that the administration was forced to remove the obstacles in front of the transport vehicles before the long march starts. It further said that the long march will now be held as per schedule.
In a post on X, Balochistan Yakjehti Committee stated, “The administration has been forced to remove the obstacles in front of the transport vehicles before the long foot march begins. Now the long march will go back to Taunsa today according to its schedule. Today there will be a meeting in Taunsa where the brave Baloch people of Taunsa are requested to participate fully. After Dera Ghazi Khan, the Ghayors of Taunsa appeal to the Balochs to fully participate in the long march.”
پیدل لانگ مارچ شروع ہونے سے پہلے انتظامیہ ٹرانسپورٹرز کے سامنے کھڑی رکاوٹیں دور کرنے پر مجبور ہو گیا ہے۔ اب لانگ مارچ واپس اپنے شیڈول کے مطابق آج تونسہ کی طرف جائے گی۔ آج تونسہ میں جلسہ ہوگا جہاں تونسہ کے غیور بلوچوں سے بھرپور شرکت کرنے کی اپیل کرتے ہیں۔ ڈیرہ غازی خان کے بعد… pic.twitter.com/uubxFBF1FO
Earlier, the Balochistan Yakjehti Committee said that the long march against the blocking of transport across Dera Ghazi Khan and threats to travellers has left Dera Ghazi Khan on foot towards Islamabad.
In a post on X, the Balochistan Yakjehti Committee stated, “The long march against the blocking of transport across Dera Ghazi Khan, threats to travelers and state conspiracies has left DG Khan on foot towards Islamabad.”
“The state cannot stop the long march by stopping the transport, the long march will in any case go ahead for the recovery of their loved ones and against the ongoing genocide and state terrorism in Balochistan. Dera Ghazi Khan, on a long march from the Ghayur Baloch of Taunsa We invite you to actively participate and be a part of it,” it added.
ڈیرہ غازی خان بھر میں ٹرانسپورٹ بند کرنے، سفر کرنے والوں کو دھمکیاں دینے اور ریاستی سازشوں کے خلاف لانگ مارچ ڈی جی خان سے پیدل اسلام آباد کی جانب روانہ ہو چکی ہے۔ ریاست ٹرانسپورٹ بند کرکے لانگ مارچ کو نہیں روک سکتی، لانگ مارچ ہر صورت اپنے پیاروں کی بازیابی اور بلوچستان میں جاری… pic.twitter.com/GissLGUlAO
Notably, four students from Ghazi University were detained by police two days prior for setting up a welcome camp for the protesters. Shaukat Ali, Asif Leghari, Miraj Leghari, Abdullah Saleh, and ten other people–including women–were taken into custody due to their alleged violations of Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which forbade public meetings and was enforced by the district government, Pakistan-based Dawn reported.
The Baloch Long March is being orgainsed by the Baloch people who have called for an end to state terrorism and massacres in Balochistan.
Earlier, in Turbat, Balochistan, the Long March faced resistance as at least 20 participants, including women, were detained as the Baloch Yakjehti Council’s (BYC) long march reached Dera Ghazi Khan, Dawn reported.
Led by Mohammad Asif Laghari, the BYC’s long march was intercepted on Shah Sikander Road. The police claimed the participants resisted, leading to the detention of several men and women, although the women were later released.”
Baloch Solidarity Committee’s Dharna is continuing at DG Khan, Gadai Changi, but the police have blocked the road from all sides and are continuously harassing and harassing the Baloch people participating in the dharna,” posted the Baloch Yakjahti Committee on X.
ASP City Rehmatullah Durrani informed protesters of the imposition of Section 144, prohibiting processions or rallies, a directive the participants defied.Legal proceedings have been initiated under Section 144, with police warning of action against violators until December 19, according to police. (ANI)
The Protestors said the the Baloch nation will no longer accept the process of kidnapping, killing and killing people in fake encounters….reports Asian Lite News
Enormous gatherings converged at Dera Gazi Khan in Balochistan during the March against Baloch genocide, initiating a sit-in to protest the arrests of numerous Baloch cadre and the alarming disappearances of Baloch individuals.
Thousands of people were seen participating in the ongoing rally by the Baloch Unity Committee in Dera Ghazi Khan. Ghayur Baloch of Makran, Jhalawan, Sarawan, Kohistan, Koh-e-Sulaiman and Dera Ghazi Khan are raising their voice against state terrorism. The protestors held placards and banners with slogans like stop your terrorism in the state of Balochistan. The Protestors said the the Baloch nation will no longer accept the process of kidnapping, killing and killing people in fake encounters.
Mehrang Baloch a political worker in her post on X said “If this state thinks that it has the force of paid soldiers, then it should remember that we have people’s power and with this people’s power the sit-in will continue till the recovery of our youth in DG Khan. Baloch people should ensure their participation in Dharna and tomorrow’s protest rally.”
Earlier, n Turbat, Balochistan, the Long March had faced resistance as at least 20 participants, including women, were detained as the Baloch Yakjehti Council’s (BYC) long march reached Dera Ghazi Khan, Dawn reported.
Led by Mohammad Asif Laghari, the BYC’s long march was intercepted on Shah Sikander Road. The police claimed the participants resisted, leading to the detention of several men and women, although the women were later released.
“Baloch Solidarity Committee’s Dharna is continuing at DG Khan, Gadai Changi, but the police have blocked the road from all sides and are continuously harassing and harassing the Baloch people participating in the dharna,” posted the Baloch Yakjahti Committee on X.
ASP City Rehmatullah Durrani informed protesters of the imposition of Section 144, prohibiting processions or rallies, a directive the participants defied, as reported by Dawn.
Legal proceedings have been initiated under Section 144, with police warning of action against violators until December 19, according to police.
Previously, a rally in Barkhan expressed solidarity with Balaach Mola Bakhsh’s family. The BYC’s spokesman reported the marchers’ departure from Kohlu town to Dera Ghazi Khan via Barkhan, where they were halted by a heavy police contingent. Attempts to enter Dera Ghazi town, observing a partial strike, resulted in a police baton charge.
Approximately 20 participants, including two women, were taken into custody and moved to an undisclosed location. BYC leaders condemned the baton charge, vowing to continue their struggle and reach Islamabad to protest the ‘extrajudicial killing’ of Bakhsh.
The committee also stated that the sit-in would continue until the arrested activists from DG Khan are released.
“The sit-in of Baloch Yakjehti Committee continues at Gadhai Chowk, Dera Ghazi Khan till the arrested activists from DG Khan are released. Despite hurdles and repression, a huge amount of people came from all areas of DG Khan to welcome the Caravan of long march against Baloch Genocide. We urge the people of Dera Ghazi Khan and peripheries to come and join the sit-in and protesting rally tomorrow at 12:00 am to halt the collective genocide of Baloch nation,” the committee said in another post on X.
The committee also requested Baloch people of Dera Ghazi Khan and surrounding areas to reach DG Khan where the dharna is currently being staged.
The committee said “The brutal actions taken by the police in DG Khan for the last two days prove how much the state is afraid of the Baloch unity. By erecting obstacles in Sakhi Sarwar, Bawata Check Post and all other areas, the state sent a message to the Baloch that Baloch have no human and constitutional rights.”
The Balcoh Long March is being orgainsed by the Baloch people who have called for an end to state terrorism and massacres in Balochistan. (ANI)
The government had found five instances where genocide has occurred: the Holocaust, Rwanda, Srebrenica and acts of genocide in Cambodia and against the Yazidi people…reports Asian Lite News
The governmnet, after almost nine years, on Tuesday formally acknowledged that the Daesh group committed “acts of genocide” against the Yazidi people in 2014.
In a statement, the government said that the Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord Ahmad made this announcement ahead of the nine-year anniversary of the atrocities committed by Daesh against the Yazidi people. Lord Ahmad, said, “The Yazidi population suffered immensely at the hands of Daesh 9 years ago and the repercussions are still felt to this day. Justice and accountability are key for those whose lives have been devastated.”
“Today we have made the historic acknowledgement that acts of genocide were committed against the Yazidi people. This determination only strengthens our commitment to ensuring that they receive the compensation owed to them and are able to access meaningful justice,” he added.
The Yazidi community deserves justice for the crimes committed by Daesh. The work of Coalition partner @UNITAD_Iraq & the Iraqi government to excavate mass graves as part of evidence collection is a vital step to get justice for the victims of Daesh's crimes. #DaeshFacesJusticepic.twitter.com/ckXl6rhQLI
He further stated that the UK will continue to play its role in eradicating Daesh, including rebuilding communities affected by its terrorism and leading global efforts against its poisonous propaganda, according to the statement.
The government’s position has always been that determinations of genocide should be made by competent courts, rather than by governments or non-judicial bodies. This determination has been made following the judgment of the German Federal Court of Justice earlier this year, which found a former Daesh fighter guilty of acts of genocide and crimes against humanity committed in Iraq, Lord Ahmad said.
The government had found five instances where genocide has occurred: the Holocaust, Rwanda, Srebrenica and acts of genocide in Cambodia and against the Yazidi people.
According to the US government, Daesh launched the Yazidi Genocide in 2014, targeting Iraq’s Yazidi minority for mass execution, mass rape, systematic sexual slavery and forced labour, and forced religious conversion.
In 2019, the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh, which includes the United States, and its local partners liberated all territory controlled by Daesh in Iraq and Syria. However, the lives and homes of Yazidi Genocide survivors remain in peril, with over 360,000 in displacement camps throughout Iraq and Syria. Daesh maintains a presence in Yazidi-populated areas and Turkey continually wages military attacks on Sinjar.
Earlier, in 2021, the United Nations acknowledged that the Islamic State in Iraq and the Daesh committed genocide against the Yazidi and war crimes against unarmed cadets and military personnel.
“A landmark moment has been reached in our work, with initial case briefs completed in relation to two key investigative priorities,” said Karim Asad Ahmad Khan, Special Adviser and Head of the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da’esh/Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (UNITAD), in a briefing on the sixth report of the Team. (ANI)
The report quoted her as saying, “It’s time for the EU to recognize what happened in Bangladesh as a crime against humanity, more than 50 years after the nation was plunged in blood and tyranny.”…reports Asian Lite News
The European Parliament hosted an event, titled ‘The Forgotten Genocide: Bangladesh 1971’, on July 3 to underscore the true nature of the atrocities committed by the Pakistan Army and its local collaborators 52 years ago can no longer be ignored, Human Rights Without Frontiers (HRWF) reported.
The panel of speakers included Andy Vermaut, a human rights activist and president of Postversa, who delivered a passionate address on the victims of the Bangladesh genocide of 1971 and their kin. The event was moderated by Manel Msalmi, International Affairs advisor to MEPs, who spoke on the importance of recognition of the Bangladesh Genocide of 1971.
The event was attended by people representing different nationalities, including students from academic institutions in Belgium.
In 1971, the deaths of three million people, rape of more than 2,00,000 women, and the 10 million who fled the atrocities and took refuge in India, as well as the 30 million who were internally displaced, shocked many people around the world, the report noted.
“The attempt by the Pakistan military to destroy the Bengalis as a people during the Bangladesh War of Independence was recognised by some people, for what it was. However, the headline in the London Sunday Times read simply ‘Genocide’,” stated the HRWF report.
The piece claimed further that a Pakistani commander was quoted as making the genocidal intention clear, stating, “We are determined to rid East Pakistan of the threat of cessation, once and for all, even if it means killing two million people and ruling it as a colony for 30 years”.
“The target for killings was surpassed but East Pakistan nevertheless achieved independence as Bangladesh. Even after more than 50 years, those terrible events have still not been recognised as genocide,” the report stated further.
Fulvio Martusciello, a member of the European Parliament, hosted the event at the European Parliament.
As he couldn’t be present at the event physically, his speech was delivered by his representative Giuliana Francoisa.
MEP Isabella Adinolfi, who also featured in the panel of speakers, focused on the brutalities faced by the Bengali women during the Bangladesh Genocide in 1971 and called for its recognition by the European Parliament, the report stated.
The report quoted her as saying, “It’s time for the EU to recognize what happened in Bangladesh as a crime against humanity, more than 50 years after the nation was plunged in blood and tyranny.”
Global Human Rights Defence, an international human rights organisation based in The Hague, held a conference in the European Parliament, the objective of which was to convince members of European Parliaments (MEPs) and the wider society that the time has come for Europe and the world to recognise the genocide that was so swiftly forgotten in many countries after 1971, HRWF reported.
Sradhnanand Sital, president, Global Human Rights Defence, said after the Second World War Europe had said ‘never again’ but in Bangladesh there had been organised genocide, not only against the Hindu minority (who were especially targeted) but all Bengalis.
The director of Human Rights Without Frontiers, Willy Fautre, explained how years of persecution had culminated in the genocide. Since its foundation in 1947, Pakistan had been politically and militarily dominated by West Pakistan, where Urdu was the main language. Whereas, the most populous part of the new state was Bengali-speaking East Pakistan. Within a year, Urdu was attempted to be proclaimed the sole national language, the report noted further.
Decades of ethnic and linguistic discrimination against Bengalis followed, with their literature and music banned from state media. The oppression was reinforced by military rule. Although, in December 1970 an election was held where the Awami League, led by Father of the Nation of Bangladesh Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, swept to victory, it added. (ANI)
Bangladesh’s Ambassador to Belgium Mahbub Hassan Saleh commended the Conference’s efforts to shed light on the atrocities committed by the Pakistani Army during the 1971 Bangladesh genocide…reports Asian Lite News
Global Human Rights Defence, a leading human rights organization, hosted a conference titled “The Forgotten Genocide Bangladesh 1971” at the European Union headquarters in Belgium’s Brussels on July 3. The speakers urged the international community to actively campaign for the recognition of the genocide in Bangladesh.
The event aimed to shed light on and seek justice for the victims of the 1971 Bangladesh genocide, Global Human Rights Defence said in a press release. The Conference, organized by Global Human Rights Defence and presided over by Member of European Parliament Mel Fulvio Martusciello, brought together 65 participants, including speakers from various fields, all united in their commitment to seeking recognition for the victims of the 1971 Bangladesh genocide. Global Human Rights Defence and the esteemed speakers called on the international community to take action. They urged them to actively campaign for the recognition of atrocities conducted by the Pakistani army during the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971 and recognise it as genocide. They also seek a public apology and trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) to hold those responsible accountable for their actions.
In her opening remarks, Manel Msalmi, International Affairs Advisor and moderator of the Conference, emphasized the severity of the 1971 atrocities, which have yet to receive the global recognition they deserve. For more than 50 years, the Bengali people have been deprived of the healing and closure they desperately need.
Member of European Parliament Isabella Adinolfi expressed gratitude to all participants and showed solidarity with the families of the victims and survivors of the 1971 genocide. She also highlighted the violence and persecution that women went through, emphasizing the need for recognition by EU institutions.
While concluding her address, Isabella Adinolfi conveyed Martusciello’s message: “It’s time for the EU to recognize what happened in Bangladesh as a crime against humanity, more than 50 years after the nation was plunged into blood and tyranny,” according to Global Human Rights Defence’s press release.
The event featured prominent speakers, including Sradhanand Sital, Chairman of Global Human Rights Defence; Willy Fautre, Director of Human Rights without Frontiers, Andy Vermaut, President of Postversa, Giuliana Franciosa, Isabella Adinoilfi MEP; Mahbub Sales, the Ambassador of Bangladesh in Belgium and Paul Manik, a survivor who managed to escape the genocide in 1971.
Bangladesh’s Ambassador to Belgium Mahbub Hassan Saleh commended the Conference’s efforts to shed light on the atrocities committed by the Pakistani Army during the 1971 Bangladesh genocide, according to the press release. He reiterated the staggering scale of the tragedy, with approximately 3 million Bengalis killed, over 2 million Bengali women raped, and 30 million Bengalis displaced. Despite some recognition of the events, the genocide remains largely unknown in the international community.
The event also included a partial screening of Global Human Rights Defence’s documentary film titled “Bangladesh: What Happened?” This comprehensive account of the genocide in 1971 by the Pakistani Army served to further illustrate the gravity of the situation. (ANI)
Photo taken on Dec. 14, 2016 shows images of the victims of the genocide including eminent academicians, litterateurs, doctors, engineers, journalists and other notable personalities who were murdered by Al-Badr, an auxiliary force of the then Pakistani occupation army in Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh. Bangladesh observed Martyred Intellectuals Day in commemoration of the martyrdom of the members of the intelligentsia who were assassinated at fag end of Bangladesh liberation war. (Xinhua/Rizwan Karim/IANS)
Guterres made the appeal in his message to mark the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime, observed on Friday…reports Asian Lite News
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres this week urged countries to take concrete steps to protect minorities and other communities at risk of genocide, in wake of rising hate speech and discrimination worldwide.
Guterres made the appeal in his message to mark the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime, observed on Friday. “States have the primary obligation for preventing genocide, but religious and community leaders, civil society, the private sector and the media – including social media platforms, play an essential role,” he said.
For the Secretary-General, the International Day is an opportunity to remember and pay tribute to the victims and survivors of genocides across the world. “It is a day to reexamine our collective failure to prevent this crime in the past, and to redouble prevention efforts for the present and the future,” he added.
Farman Ali to Yahya Khan â men behind the Bangladesh genocide.
Yet, more than 70 years after the international community adopted a convention on genocide prevention and punishment, “the threat of genocide remains present in many places around the world,” he warned.
On the day commemorating victims of genocide, Paulo Casaca, executive director of the Brussels-based South Asia Democratic Forum, said the 1971 Bangladesh genocide was a notable event after the enforcement of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in 1951.
“Whereas an International Crimes Tribunal in Bangladesh addressed some crimes, Pakistan, the country whose military establishment is accountable for the genocide organisation, has neither recognised its responsibilities nor acted to punish the culprits,” he said.
He stated that a crime that benefitted from complicity or at least a silence of Western powers – first and foremost by the United States diplomacy – has yet to be fully recognised on the international stage.
“However, beyond Bangladesh, it is in the United States that we witness the strongest process towards international recognition today,” he added.
Casaca contended that the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime, in 2022, is the right occasion to start a movement demanding universal criminal accountability for past atrocities, at both the national and international fora.
The Bangladesh genocide will necessarily be a top subject in this agenda, but it should be articulated with other genocides and atrocities that have taken place more recently, he added. (ANI)
Now the British Parliament should bring a new motion recognising the genocide, she said…reports Asian Lite News
Bangladesh High Commissioner in London Saida Muna Tasneem has urged the British Parliament to table and pass a motion recognising one of the worst genocides in history by the Pakistani forces in 1971.
She made the call at a virtual discussion organised by the high commission and University College London to mark Bangladesh’s Independence Day on Friday, the high commission said in a statement on Saturday.
Tasneem noted that Sir Peter Shore MP, the then chairman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, placed a motion in parliament condemning the Pakistani atrocities during Bangladesh’s Liberation War.
More than 233 MPs later placed another motion seeking an end to the genocide in Bangladesh and the recognition of it as an independent nation, she said.
Now the British Parliament should bring a new motion recognising the genocide, she said.
She also called for more content on the genocide in British and international journals, promising support.
Tasneem thanked Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for declaring Mar 25 National Genocide Day. The high commissioner said it is their duty to create global awareness about the genocide.
Lord Rami Ranger, chairman of Conservative Friends of India, said he would continue supporting Bangladesh’s demand for the recognition of the genocide. He urged Bangladesh to set up a monument in the UK remembering the victims of the Pakistani atrocities.
High Commissioner for India to the UK Gaitri Issar Kumar, Joann Digeorge-Lutz, Chair of the Department of Liberal Studies at Texas A&M University, Meghna Guhathakurta, director of Research Initiatives, Bangladesh, Sultan Mahmud Sharif, an organiser of Bangladesh’s Liberation War Movements in the UK, Jasmina Sarajlić, representative of the Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina in London, and UCL research fellow Bayes Ahmed also spoke on the occasion.
A documentary on the genocide was screened at the event. The participants paid their respects to the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the martyrs who were killed in the war.
Biden is the first US president to use the term “genocide” in describing the mass killing against the Armenian people…reports Asian Lite News
President Joe Biden recognised the mass killing against Armenians more than a century ago as a “genocide”, a move that could further worsen relations between the United States and Turkey.
“The American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,” Biden said in a statement issued by the White House on Saturday, the Armenian Remembrance Day.
“We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated,” he noted.
Biden is the first US president to use the term “genocide” in describing the mass killing against the Armenian people by the Ottoman Empire, breaking with his predecessors who did not want to undermine relations with Turkey. In 2019, both chambers of Congress passed resolutions recognizing the atrocities as “genocide.”
The latest move could further complicate the already strained relations between Washington and Ankara. The two NATO allies have been at odds over Turkey’s acquisition of the Russian S-400 air-defence systems and other regional issues, such as the Syria conflict and the dispute in the eastern Mediterranean.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told local media earlier this week that Biden’s statements were not legal-binding and would only harm bilateral relations. “If the United States wants to worsen ties, the decision is theirs,” he said.
US media reported that Biden informed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of his “genocide” recognition plan in their phone call on Friday.
The phone call was the first between the two leaders since Biden took office in January. The White House said that Biden told Erdogan that he wanted to build a constructive bilateral relationship “with expanded areas of cooperation and effective management of disagreements.”
The two leaders agreed to hold a bilateral meeting on the margins of the NATO Summit in June to discuss the full range of bilateral and regional issues, according to the White House.
Armenians have long sought international recognition for the large-scale casualties during the Ottoman era as genocide, which they say left some 1.5 million of their people dead. Turkey, the Ottoman Empire’s successor state, has claimed the mass killings did not constitute genocide.
Biden, Erdogan hold phone call over bilateral ties
President Joe Biden discussed bilateral relations in a phone call with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the White House said.
Biden conveyed “his interest in a constructive bilateral relationship with expanded areas of cooperation and effective management of disagreements,” the White House said in a statement.
The leaders agreed to hold a bilateral meeting on the margins of the NATO Summit in June to discuss the full range of bilateral and regional issues, the statement added.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told a local media earlier this week that Biden’s statements are not legal-binding and would only harm bilateral relations. “If the United States wants to worsen ties, the decision is theirs,” he said.
The move could further complicate the already strained relations between Washington and Ankara. The two NATO allies have been at odds over Turkey’s acquisition of the Russian S-400 air-defence systems and other regional issues, such as the Syria conflict and the dispute in the eastern Mediterranean.
But the government has steered clear of declaring genocide over what it says are “industrial-scale” human rights abuses against the mainly Muslim Uyghur community in Xinjiang, reports Asian Lite News
Britain’s parliament called for the government to take action to end what lawmakers described as genocide in China’s Xinjiang region, stepping up pressure on ministers to go further in their criticism of Beijing.
But the government again steered clear of declaring genocide over what it says are “industrial-scale” human rights abuses against the mainly Muslim Uyghur community in Xinjiang. Ministers say any decision on declaring a genocide is up to the courts.
So far the government has imposed sanctions on some Chinese officials and introduced rules to try to prevent goods linked to the region entering the supply chain, but a majority of lawmakers want ministers to go further.
Beijing denies accusations of rights abuses in Xinjiang.
Lawmakers backed a motion brought by Conservative lawmaker Nusrat Ghani stating Uyghurs in Xinjiang were suffering crimes against humanity and genocide, and calling on government to use international law to bring it to an end.
The support for the motion is non-binding, meaning it is up to the government to decide what action, if any, to take next.
Britain’s minister for Asia, Nigel Adams, again set out to parliament the government’s position that any decision on describing the human rights abuses in Xinjiang as genocide would have to be taken by “competent” courts.
Some lawmakers fear Britain risks falling out of step with allies over China after the Biden administration endorsed a determination by its predecessor that China had committed genocide in Xinjiang.
Chinese President Xi Jinping
Meanwhile, the US government, is under pressure to urge like-minded countries to independently investigate and formally determine whether the abuses in Xinjiang meet the definitions of genocide and/or crimes against humanity under international law, and work together to take measures to hold China accountable.
The US Congress should support legislation to promote religious freedom in China, including the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, the The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has recommended.
Last year, the report said, religious freedom conditions in China had deteriorated.
The government intensified its “sinicisation of religion” policy, particularly targeting religions perceived to have foreign connections, such as Christianity, Islam and Tibetan Buddhism.
The authorities also continued their unprecedented use of advanced surveillance technologies to monitor and track religious minorities, and the Measures on Managing Religious Groups became effective in February, further constricting the space in which religious groups could operate.
Quake-affected people have a meal at a temporary settlement in Jinghe County, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Li Jing/IANS)
In September 2020, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute had identified 380 detention centres across the Uyghur region (otherwise known as Xinjiang), including new facilities built in 2019 and 2020.
This indicates that the Chinese government has continued to detain Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims despite claiming to have released all the detainees.
Since 2017, authorities have reportedly sent millions of Muslims to these camps for wearing long beards, refusing alcohol, or exhibiting other behaviours deemed signs of “religious extremism”.
Former detainees reported torture, rape, sterilisation and other abuses in custody. Experts raised concerns that the Chinese government’s ongoing actions in Xinjiang could amount to genocide under international law.
Demand for US to skip Winter Olympics
Meanwhile, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has asked the US government not to attend the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing if the Chinese government continues its crackdown on religious freedoms of minorities in China.
In its annual report, the USCIRF recommended the Joe Biden administration to redesignate China as a “country of particular concern”, or CPC, for engaging in systematic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom, as defined by the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA).
The Commission asked the US government to publicly express concerns about Beijing hosting the 2022 Winter Olympic Games and state that US government officials will not attend the games if the Chinese government’s crackdown on religious freedoms continues.
It has also recommended the US government to enforce to the fullest extent the existing US laws — such as the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act and Tibetan Policy and Support Act — and continue to impose targeted financial and visa sanctions on Chinese government agencies and officials responsible for severe violations of religious freedom.
The international community is now aware about Turkey and its notorious army’s role in the Armenian genocide. But, how can they ignore the killing of 300,000 unarmed civilians during the liberation war in Bangladesh. Do we have right to seek justice and heal our buried wounds? .…. A special report Farzana Mahmood (Barrister-at-Law), Advocate, Supreme Court of Bangladesh, Human rights activist and Researcher
The brutal killings of 30,00,000 unarmed and innocent civilians during the 1971 liberation war by the Pakistani army and their local collaborators in Bangladesh with the intention of exterminating the Bengalis as well as the religious minorities, specifically the Hindus, falls within the ambit of crimes of genocide under the Genocide Convention of 1949.
With the aim to change the race of the Bengalis, rape was carried out in a systematic way against 2,00,000 women of Bangladesh by the Pakistani army1. The widespread atrocities, degrading, and inhuman treatment and rape committed by the Pakistani forces can be identified as crimes against humanity. Though the Hamoodur Rahman Commission Report of Pakistan concealed data about the immensity of the atrocities, it admitted that approximately 26,000 innocent Bengalis had been killed by the Pakistani army.
After the victory of Bangladesh when Pakistani army surrendered nearly 93,000 Pakistani civilians and army officers were taken to Indian custody as Prisoners of War (POWs) while more than 1,20,000 Bengalis were trapped in West Pakistan. The United Nations Security Council passed a resolution on December 21, 1971 asking the countries involved in War to observe the Geneva Convention and not to attach any conditions to the repatriation of the POWs.
Immediately after his return in Bangladesh from the Pakistani jail, the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman initiated the formal process of war crimes trial. While Bangabandhu lead Awami League Government had identified 195 Pakistan army personnel as Pakistani POWs for trail, Pakistan Government seized 203 Bengalis in Pakistan as hostage. In April 1973, Pakistan issued a statement saying, “Pakistani Government rejects the right of the authorities in Dhaka to try any among the prisoners of war on criminal charges, because the alleged criminal acts were committed in a part of Pakistan by citizens of Pakistan. But Pakistan expresses its readiness to constitute a judicial tribunal of such character and composition as will inspire international confidence to try the persons charged with offenses”.
The Hamoodur Rahman Commission report recommended to take effective action to punish those POWs in Pakistan who were responsible for committing the alleged atrocities in East Pakistan. While Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto announced that if Bangladesh carries out the trial, Pakistan would also hold similar tribunals against the Bangladeshi army officers who were serving in West Pakistan. In an interview on May 27, 1973, Bhutto also said: “Public opinion will demand trials of Bangladeshis here. We know that the Bengalis passed on information during the war. There will be specific charges. How many will be tried, I cannot say.” In such a tense situation, the concern over the lives of the Bengalis trapped in Pakistan and regional peace became serious issues, which were under clear threat.
Moreover, Bangladesh needed global recognition as an independent state and access to the United Nations. Pakistan continued its lobby not to let that happen and Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto insisted that Pakistan would accept Bangladesh as a separate state if the Pakistani POWs were released. Bangabandhu was determined to try the Pakistani POWs for the atrocities and genocide committed against the Bengalis, but in this endeavour he did not get support from any corner. As a party to the Geneva Convention India was obliged to promptly start the repatriation of the Pakistanis and could not lawfully transfer the hostage Pakistani POWs to Bangladesh’s custody.
The Simla Agreement signed between India and Pakistan in July 1972 allowed the simultaneous release of most of the Bengalis and Pakistanis held in Pakistan and India respectively. Pakistan and India agreed that the issue of 195 Pakistani POWs would be settled between Bangladesh and Pakistan. Eventually, Bangladesh accepted Pakistan’s proposal to withdrew the demand for trying the Pakistani POWs in Dhaka- fearing for the life of the Bengalis trapped in Pakistan, regional peace and to gain the much-needed international recognition and access to the United Nations. The listed POWs were repatriated to Pakistan after an Agreement was signed between India-Pakistan-Bangladesh in Delhi, in April 1974. The 195 Pakistani POWs though repatriated were not freed from criminal charges. Also, Bangladesh expected that Pakistan would hold the trials of the Pakistani POWs as promised by the Pakistan Government, but this never happened.
After 38 years of Independence in 2009 the Awami League Government established a tribunal named International Crimes Tribunals, Bangladesh under the International Crimes Tribunals Act (ICT), 1973 to try and punish both the local and principal Pakistani perpetrators who committed crimes against humanity and genocide against the Bengalis. The trail of the local perpetrators started in 2012, few notorious war criminals have been punished and the trials of the rest of the offenders are continuing. On many occasions the Awami League Government has expressed sincere desire to try and punish those 195 Pakistani POWs as principal perpetrators of the 1971 genocide.
This desire became a concern for the Pakistani Government and they have referred the 1974 trilateral Agreement to negate the claims of Bangladesh on the trail issue of the Pakistani POWs. The Bangladesh Government contends that the clemency mentioned in the trilateral Agreement never implied that the masterminds and principal perpetrators of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide would continue to enjoy impunity. This assertion is implicit in the policies taken by the Awami League Government during the early years of independence. Bangladesh Collaborators (Special Tribunals) Order, 1972 and ICT Act 1973 were promulgated to try and punish the perpetrators of 1971 war. The 1972 Constitution of Bangladesh contained provision that barred from holding office by anyone convicted by the collaborators tribunal, which was later deleted from the Constitution by Major Ziaur Rahman.
Moreover, the Constitution also banned those religious political parties whose leaders were involved in the war crimes and genocide. In November 1973, the Awami League Government with the hope to unify the country and maintain internal peace granted a general amnesty for the war criminals except those accused of murder, arson, rape and genocide. Even until the end of 1975, a large number of Bangladeshi war criminals were captivated in different jails of Bangladesh for trials, who were released after the brutal murder of Bangabandhu.
The ICT Act 1973 was enacted with the aim to detain, prosecute and punish the perpetrators of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and other related crimes punishable under international laws. Section 3 of the ICT Act unambiguously states that any tribunal established under this Act shall have power to try and punish any person accused of war crimes committed in the territory of Bangladesh regardless of their nationality. Bangabandhu declared the independence of Bangladesh in the early morning of 26th March, 1971 and the Pakistani army started committing genocide and war crimes since 25th March midnight which continued till 15th of December, 1971. Therefore, the war crimes were committed in the territory of independent Bangladesh and Bangladesh has every right to try the Pakistani POWs. Under the Act the tribunal has jurisdiction to try a group of individuals, or member of armed, defence, or auxiliary forces, irrespective of his nationality, who has committed genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes or other related crimes under international law in the territory of Bangladesh. The provisions of the ICT Act clearly mandate the trial of the 195 Pakistani POWs, for committing war crimes and genocide, and the Pakistani political leaders and policy makers who ordered them to commit such crimes.
It is worth mentioning that for the validity of the 1974 trilateral Agreement it must be ratified by the parties concerned. Article 145A of the Constitution of Bangladesh requires that all international treaties to be submitted to the president who will place them before the Parliament for ratification. Till today, Bangladesh has not ratified the trilateral Agreement of 1974, hence the Agreement is not legally binding on Bangladesh and there is no obstacle to try the 195 Pakistani POWs.
The customary international laws also provide ample opportunity for Bangladesh to try the Pakistani POWs. The Hague Convention 1907, Genocide Convention 1948, Geneva Conventions 1949 and their protocols 1977, defines genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity and makes them punishable offence. Article 4 of the Genocide Convention 1948 articulates that persons committing genocide shall be punished whether they are constitutionally recognizable rulers, public officials or individuals.
The report of United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, 2009 titled “International Law and United Nations Policy on Amnesty” clearly stipulated that under various sources of international law and United Nations international policy, amnesties are not permissible if they prevent prosecution of individuals who may be criminally responsible for war crimes and genocide. Under the Geneva Convention, state parties have right to try and punish the war criminals for genocide and crime against humanity and amnesties that prevent the prosecution of such offences are inconsistent with the state’s obligations. Countries which have signed and ratified the Geneva Convention and the Protocols are obliged to find out war criminals and try them. As per customary international laws, atrocities or acts of criminal violence amount to the breach of a peremptory norm of international laws. Article 53 and 64 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, 1969 stipulate that treaties in conflict with the peremptory norms of international law (either existing or emerging) are void and terminated. Article 71 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, releases the parties to a treaty void under Articles 53 and 64 from any obligation to perform the treaty.
Memorial of clay of refugees of the Bangladesh genocide.(WIKIPEDIA)
The 1974 tripartite Agreement was an executive act and it can not create any bar to prosecute member of auxiliary force or an individual or member of a group for committing war crimes, since by giving immunity to the offenders of genocide and war crimes the Agreement is in breach of customary international laws. Therefore, the 1974 trilateral Agreement can not set aside the norms of the customary international laws by prohibiting the trail of genocide and war time atrocities committed in Bangladesh. The 1974 Agreement is void to the extent it is inconsistent with the peremptory norms of general international law. Hence, under the 1974 Agreement Bangladesh is not bound to perform the obligations pertaining the prohibition of trials of the Pakistani war criminals. Bangladesh can procced with the trial of the Pakistani POWs anytime because criminal trials are not barred by any time limitation. If Nazis could be tried after 70 years of committing war crimes then a similar trial of the war criminals of Pakistani army and politicians can be started as well.
In one occasion while talking about the liberation war of Bangladesh Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto himself admitted the atrocities of the Pakistani army by saying- “The world saw what they were doing. They witnessed their cruelty’’. The gravity and extent of the war crimes committed by the Pakistani army in 1971 against the innocent people left a deep scar in the hearts and psyche of the millions of Bengalis. The pain that my mother has been bearing since 1971 after the brutal killing of my grandfather by the Pakistani army is an example among thousands of such wounded hearts. Through the trials of the notorious local war criminals the buried wounds of millions of hearts have healed to a great extent. But the impunity of the Pakistani POWs and unapologistic behaviour of the Pakistani authorities remind us that until the last offender of 1971 war crimes is tried and punished the wounds and trauma of the Bengalis would remain open for further damage. The buried wounds of the victims of war crimes and their families can be healed with pride if we can secure justice for the 1971 genocide and war crimes.
In March 2017, the Law Minister Anisul Haq stated that Bangladesh will approach the International Court of Justice to try the 195 Pakistani POWs. This commitment of the Government generates hope for us. This year we when are observing the golden jubilee of Bangladesh’s independence, it is imperative that we seek justice and compensation for the genocide and crime against humanity committed by the Pakistani forces to make our freedom meaningful. It is high time for us to build a national consensus for initiating the trial process of the Pakistani POWs. Ensuring trial, compensation and apology for the heinous war crimes committed by the Pakistani forces would secure our pride and self-esteem.
(Farzana Mahmood (Barrister-at-Law) is an advocate at Supreme Court of Bangladesh and a prominent human rights activist)
