An open letter to Ban Ki-moon
I am pleased to inform you that War Crimes Facts Finding Committee Bangladesh is working relentlessly to mobilise national and international support for the trial of perpetrators of war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity in 1971. In this context, the War Crimes Facts Finding Committee has appealed to the government in writing to constitute tribunals under international tribunals acts 19 & article 47 (3) of Bangladesh constitution. UN support to form such a tribunal has also been sought.
Further to that, the demand has been placed to the Election Commission to bar registration of the war criminals and obligate the alleged criminals to declare their status in post liberation time. Pledges have also been sought from political parties in order to refrain from electoral alliance with war criminals and resist nomination of any perpetrator of war crimes in any party.
Under this circumstance, we the War Crimes Facts Finding Committee appeal to the UN to articulate their stand on the above issue and render support to the cause. We expect the international community shall understand that the criminals who sided with Pakistan in the year of 1971 were not their friends.
Over the course of time, it has been proved that the criminals of 1971 have not changed their mindset. It is those people and their allies in Pakistan who are relentlessly venting the message of hatred against western countries. They are nourishing those countless madrassas, which are the real breeding ground of jihadis.
In this context, we have published the list of perpetrators of crimes of 71 and cited the names of genocide spots. There are 369 alleged Pakistani war criminals and 1150 local collaborators who perpetrated the worst war crimes and crimes against humanity in the year 1971.
The war that was initiated by the Pakistani army in the soil of Bangladesh in 1971 was not a civil war; it was a pre-planned act of genocide. There may be debate regarding the definition of genocide. But, there is no doubt that nearly 1.8 million people were eliminated during the war of 1971. Three million was the official figure of death. At that time, nearly 10 million people were displaced due to the pre-planned killing conducted by the Pakistani army and their collaborators. There were many incidents of enforced disappearance and violence on women.
Impartial inquest has strongly ascertained that 460,000 women were raped and tortured at that time.
There are nearly 920 mass graves and identified genocide spots. Far more can be identified with the assistance of any international group. This is to be noted that in the year 1971 approximately 53 counts of war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity were committed by the Pakistan army and their collaborators. Of them 17 were major war crimes, 13 were grievous crimes against humanity. They got involved in four counts genocide, which were never addressed.
In this context, I do strongly appeal to you to establish an International Tribunal to address the above issue.
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