International Conference on the Genocide of 1971 held in Canada and Bangladesh

On 21 September 2022, Bangladesh High Commission in Canada; Bangabandhu Center for Bangladesh Studies (BCBS), Canada; Conflict and Resilience Research Institute in Canada (CRRIC); Dhaka University's Centre for Genocide Studies (CGS); and Liberation War Museum (LWM) of Bangladesh jointly organised an international conference on 'Remember and Recognise: The Case of Bangladesh Genocide of 1971' at the auditorium of Canadian Museum for Human Rights at Winnipeg, Manitoba. The conference was simultaneously attended by a total of 100 students, academics, researchers, peacebuilders, and human rights activists at the LWM auditorium. At the same time, the whole conference was livestreamed on social media.

The conference began with a series of panel discussions on virtual and on-site settings in both Canada and Bangladesh. Several aspects of the unknown, unrecognised, and forgotten genocide of 1971 were intellectually reflected in the sessions. The sessions also included the screening of 'Stop Genocide' by Zahir Rahman; the presentation of testimonies by Dr. Tawheed Reza Noor, Prof. Dr. Nuzhat Choudhury, and Asif Munier (all being the children of martyred intellectuals of 1971), and the virtual poster presentation by graduate students on 'Bangladesh-Canada Solidarity: 1971 and Beyond.'

Dr. A.K. Abdul Momen and Ambassador Masud Bin Momen, Foreign Minister and Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh Government respectively, virtually made their speeches which highlighted the Foreign Ministry's continuous efforts internationally, specially at the UN, to achieve the due recognition of Bangladesh genocide.

High Commission of Bangladesh in Canada, with the Bangabandhu Center for Bangladesh Studies in Canada under the directorship of Dr. Kawser Ahmed, has been working on raising awareness among the Canadian government and the people by showcasing the facts and evidence of the 1971 genocide in Bangladesh, said Dr. Khalilur Rahman, the High Commissioner of Bangladesh in Canada.

Founder and Director of Genocide Watch, Dr. Gregory Stanton laid down the keynote by enunciating that "the time has come for the US Congress to pass a resolution recognising the Bangladesh Genocide."

Notable Rotarian David G Newman opined that although the Canadian Museum of Human Rights did not officially recognise the 1971 genocide yet, nevertheless, it identified that event as cultural genocide.

Represented by Mofidul Hoque, Shaoli Dasgupta, and Emraan Azad, Center for the Study of Genocide and Justice at LWM presented on the historical background of Bangladesh genocide, quest for justice and the recognition, and activities of the museum to disseminate the lessons of history to the younger generation.

The appeal for rendering justice by recognising the 1971 Bangladesh genocide was emphasised in the presentation by Prof. Dr. Imitiaz Ahmed, Director of Center for Genocide Studies, Dhaka University.

Speaking at the event, Prof. Dr. James Waller from Keene State College, presented the understanding of atrocity prevention and appreciated the efforts of the organisers as the conference is to remember the part of history that is not often remembered and recognised.

Prof. Dr. Adam Muller, Director of Peace & Conflict Studies at the University of Manitoba, viewed that the genocide in Bangladesh has the value of inculcating not only the history of South Asia and Bangladesh, but also the concept of genocide itself.

Bangladesh's post-genocide struggle for justice since 1973 was also highlighted in the pre-recorded video message of Dr. Adam Jones, a leading genocide scholar at the University of British Columbia.

The idea of holding the conference was to remember the history of the 1971 Genocide in Bangladesh as well as to recognise the genocide worldwide. The conference ended with screening a short docu-film on the Liberation War Museum.

Event covered by Tabassum Niger Oishi, Research Assistant (Contractual), Center for the Study of Genocide and Justice, Liberation War Museum.