The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Sector Commanders' Forum and seventy other socio-cultural organisations yesterday announced a joint declaration for the trial of the war criminals of the Liberation War in 1971 and demanded of the government to constitute a special tribunal for their trial.

The organisations extended their support to the movement of the SCF for the trial of the war criminals and they would assist the forum in all programmes to campaign for the demand for the trial of the war criminals.

Chairman of the SCF and Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Liberation Army Air Vice Marshal (Retd) AK Khandoker yesterday said this at a press conference at the BILIA auditorium in the city yesterday.

Air Vice Marshal AK Khandoker said they had discussed with the political parties and urged them to include the clause for the trial of the war criminals in their parties' election manifestos.

"If any political party allies with the Jamaat-e-Islami and the war criminals then we will work against them so that they will not be able to win the elections," said the Liberation War hero.

He said the forum issued letters to the Chief Adviser, Army Chief and Chief Election Commissioner to meet with them in this issue and would hold view exchange meetings at divisional level from the next month.

National Professor Kabir Chowdhury presided over the press conference moderated by former Army Chief Lt Gen (Retd) Harun-Ar-Rashid.

"The trial of the war criminals can be done only by constituting a special tribunal and which can be done according to the constitution of the country under the International Crimes Tribunal Act-73," justice KM Hasan said.

He also urged the public not to file cases against the war criminals in the criminal courts. He said a quarter were provoking people to file cases against the war criminals under criminal court so that the war criminals could find escape route.

National Professor Kabir Chowdhury said the unity now formed on the demand for the trial of the killers of the Liberation War was not seen before.

The outburst of the unity was the boycotting of the ceremony of Bangabhaban on the Victory Day.

He said the present government should at least start the process of the trial by constituting special tribunal.

The brother of the martyred intellectual Munir Chowdhury dismissed the claims that the trial did not take place in the past 36 years saying, "After the killing of Bangabandhu in '75, there were no pro-liberation war government so the killers were not punished."

The SCF urged all organisations believing on the ideologies of the Liberation War other than the Jamaat and its organs to join with them in the movement.

President of Peshajibi Shamonnay Parishad Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, President of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad Hena Das, eminent journalist Shahariar Kabir, President of Sammilito Sanskritik Jote Nasir Uddin Yousuf, President of Prajanma 71 Shaheen Reza Noor and President of Ganotantrik Ainjibi Parishad, Barrister Shafiq Ahmed, among others, spoke on behalf of the signatories of the declaration.