HISTORY DISTORTION CRIMES ACT: Constitutional protection sought

War crimes trial campaigners on Wednesday urged the government to pass history distortion crimes act and give constitutional protection for the act so that none could cancel it in future.
Addressing a discussion on ‘History and spirit of the liberation war: history distortion crimes act’, they also called for resistance against violence in the name of religion.
Forum for Secular Bangladesh and Trial of War Criminals of 1971 organised the discussion at WVA auditorium at Dhanmondi in the capital to mark the 45th anniversary of proclamation of independence of the country.
Addressing the discussion, writer of the proclamation of independence M Amir-ul Islam said the country would face a grave loss if secularism could not be established.
Labour appellate tribunal chairman justice M Shamsul Huda welcomed the government initiatives to formulate the history distortion crimes act and observed that if the act was not given constitutional protection, the quarters against the spirit of liberation war would cancel it.
The forum’s executive president, Shahriyar Kabir, said that denying the holocaust during World War II, or committing genocide on Jews, was now a punishable offence in Europe and argued that Bangladesh should have such a law to uphold the recognised history and spirit of the liberation war.
Presided over by the forum’s adviser Kamal Lohani, the discussion was also addressed by Justice Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik, SAARC Law’s former secretary general Tania Amir and the forum general secretary Kazi Mukul.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net