Editorial
The demand for justice grows stronger
Voice of the youth should not be silenced
The atmosphere is electric. It is spontaneous. That is the feeling one gets pushing through the crowds on all roads leading to Shahbagh. This is a protest led by the youth of the country who do not march under any political banner. They are united in their calls for justice to be served. The anger of the youth is mingled with joy and anticipation as ordinary folk come to the congregation with their children and with the elderly. The young are carried by their parents; the old come on crutches undaunted by the distance that must be traveled on foot.
We join in them in celebration and show our solidarity with the spirit of '71. We are exuberant about what is happening at Shahbagh and elsewhere in the country. This paper wrote in its editorial yesterday that the nation's zeal for the trying of war criminals; for their dastardly and despicable acts of criminality during the war of liberation have to meted out exemplary punishment.
Throughout our history we have instances where young people have started movements, whether it is the language movement of '52 or the mass upsurge of '69 and even the armed struggle of 1971. And now, when it was believed that today's younger generation had forgotten the lessons and the horrors of crimes perpetrated during the war of liberation we are gladly proven wrong in this instance it is the youth of today who want to pick up the torch and conclude the unfinished work of their predecessors in 1971.
The underlying message of the Shahbagh movement sparked events throughout the country is not only seeking justice against the perpetration of the genocide of '71 but also the “Sonar Bangla†of the dreams of our martyrs, which can only come with clean and corruption-free politics, accountable government and transparent administration.
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