ICSF seeks action to preserve ‘71 mass graves

International Crimes Strategy Forum (ICSF) has urged Bangladesh to take immediate steps to identify and preserve all the country's 1971 mass graves.

"We can't afford for even a single such site to fall into disrepair or being lost," said the ICSF, an independent global network of experts and activists working in the interest of justice for the victims of international crimes, in a statement.
These sites not only carry historical value, but are also living testaments to the appalling crimes Bengalis were subjected to in 1971, according to the statement UNB received here on Saturday.

However, it said, with the government prioritising the preservation of historical sites related to the Liberation War, it is particularly disheartening to see that some of the most important of such sites, the mass graves, are falling into disrepair or being sold like any ordinary piece of land.

"It's thus, with much concern that we have noticed some recent media reports about the state of disrepair or otherwise negligence in preserving some of the most important symbols of our liberation history," said the ICSF.

It said they came to know that about 50 mass graves of the Liberation War martyrs in different areas of Naogaon district have been facing negligence for a long time.

Another such report is the sale of a land in Ranishongkoil, Khuniadighi in Thakurgaon district which contains a mass grave where many freedom fighters and supporters of the Liberation War were regularly killed and disposed of by Pakistani Army and their local collaborators during 1971.

Such developments are being reported against the backdrop of the reports that the Liberation War Affairs Ministry of Bangladesh is undertaking a Tk 182 crore project for preserving 360 important historical sites related to the Liberation War by June 2019 aiming to enable future generations to know about our liberation struggles, it noted.

"This is indeed a much-needed overdue step in the right direction for which the government deserves a note of thanks," it said.

The ICSF has long campaigned for the recognition of Bangladesh genocide. It firmly believes that preserving important sites relating to the Liberation War, such as sites of mass graves, and properly investing in their development and maintenance is crucial not only for keeping the memories alive and imparting the lessons of past genocide to future generations, but also for achieving global recognition of the Bangladesh genocide.

It recently made this point specifically in its briefing on the occasion of the first Genocide Day on 25 March titled: 'Roadmap for '71 Genocide Recognition: 7-Prong Strategy for Bangladesh government".

Source: UNB